Fooled Around and Fell in Love
by Narshe
Summary: Modern AU / Kainora fluff / Just two strangers on a bus
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Made some edits. Here's the new chapter**

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Green eyes connected with brown.

He sat across from her, and she suddenly found it difficult to concentrate on her reading. Was he staring at her? She didn't dare chance another peak. Her stop was coming up soon anyways, and then she'd be on her merry way.

So why was a sweat forming on her brow? Why did she suddenly feel tense and shaky all over? _Why was she thinking these things instead of concentrating on reading?_ She had a big paper due on this book in just over a week, and yet here she was, unable to concentrate on a single word.

She went back to her book, and took her pen out here and underlined her selected phrase. Next to the horizontal markings she wrote, crookedly with the shaking of the bus on the street, "the power of love cancels out all the world's hardship".

And then she began to think. Of herself and her place in the world at this very moment; waiting on the bus to get to her job at the state library while working on her final paper and trying her utmost hardest not to think of the boy with green eyes sitting opposite her. _Damn._ She needed to stay focused. She went back to her novel.

… _madly in love after so many years of_ AND WHY was he still staring at her? She could feel his heavy gaze on her, and it made the nerves on the back of her flushed neck prickle.

She stole another glance.

He was listening to music with the kind of white earbuds that come with your iPhone. His dusky skin was a gorgeous mocha, and he had the brightest green eyes. The kind of green that one could only find in the natural world due to its inimitable color; just as the color of the sky—the true color of the vast sky—can never be replicated artificially. She tore her eyes away and stared deeply into her book. What had she just read? Where was she? What book even was this?

Out of her peripheral, she noticed him taking out his earbuds. She brought her book higher up to her face so she wouldn't focus on his movements. She was trying so hard to focus on her book, but she was so busy trying to tune the man out that he somehow was the only object of concentration in her conscious.

She saw him stand up. Perhaps this next one was his stop; that would make her reading easier for sure. She attempted to zero in on her reading, but distantly heard a smooth voice say, "Please, sit."

She set her book down. The gentleman was offering his seat to an elderly man with a walker. He looked both stunned and appreciative as he shuffled over a few paces and took a seat where the younger man had once been. "Thank you," she heard the old man say. "I've been on my feet too long for my back today."

She looked to her left. There was easily enough room for someone to sit down, but it would be a tight and slightly uncomfortable fit. She looked to her right. She could scoot over a little bit more to make room. She slid across the seat and gestured to the man that he could sit next to her. He looked down at her and offered a wide smile, "That's real nice of you."

She only smiled in response, and the man took a seat. She brought her book back up to her nose, but the only thing piercing her mind was the scent of the man to her left. It was a natural smell of dirt, with slight hints of spicy cinnamon and some tangy lemon. She noticed her head slowly leaning in just to grab more of his smell, but reason got the better of her, and she sat straighter up. She noticed the tingling sensation on the back of her neck again and knew the man was watching her. She had no choice, though; she resumed reading.

She must have stared at the text for 10 minutes, but it was no use! She couldn't concentrate on the text, and if she continued reading she would just have to go back and reread this part. Her focus was not happening with this book. She let out a sigh and shoved the book back into her bag.

"Don't like the book?"

Her ears perked up; she looked to her left. The man with bright green eyes was staring at her still and must've noticed her frustration with the novel. Despite herself, she offered the man a weak smile and shrugged.

"I'm afraid it's me I'm frustrated with. I just can't concentrate, but I need to finish it for a class."

"A class? Do you go to university around here?"

"I'm over at the University of the United Republic," she explained.

"What class is it for?" he inquired.

"'A Comparison of World Culture through Timeless Literature'," she quoted. "The workload is intense, but the material is so fascinating. I do wish the literature wasn't so 'timeless'. I'm really quite intrigued by history and historical literature. The majority of what we read, though, is for the purpose of discussing modern day society and the culture of different world countries. I'd prefer a bit more talk about the past in there, but what we do discuss is so profound and exceptional that it balances out, I suppose. The contemporary cultures of the world today are so diverse and eccentric, it almost feels like studying history! I mean, did you know the comparison of a Japanese geisha and a prostitute is so offensive and demeaning to the entire Japanese culture? I learned that while—" she cut herself off. He looked at her with concerned, not disinterested eyes. "I'm sorry. I, er, started rambling a bit there."

He chuckled. "No problem. I liked listening to you talk."

They both realized the peculiarity of that statement at the exact same moment, and a heated blush began to crawl across his cheeks.

"Uhh…" he reached over his shoulder to scratch his back. She guessed it must've been a nervous habit. "What book are you reading now?"

" _One Hundred Years of Solitude,_ " she explained. "Gabriel Gar—"

"Gabriel García Márquez?" he asked. "I love his work."

"You've read _One Hundred Years of Solitude_?" she asked. She had to admit; that surprised her.

"I haven't read that. To be honest, I haven't heard of it, but _Love in the Time of Cholera_ is an all-time favorite of mine."

"I haven't read that one. What's it about?"

He smiled at her—a lopsided, toothy grin that warmed her from the inside. "Love at first sight."

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 **A/N: Not sure where this will go, but please review and let me know if this is at all interesting. 2nd chapter soon to come.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Let me know what you thought of the first chapter!**

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She alone was sitting at the bus stop on the corner of Fourth and General Iroh, shielded from the icy rain by the covering over the metal bench. She was leafing through _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ , highlighting and dog-earing phrases and remarks to look upon later when she sat down to write her essay.

Her eyes scanned over a sentence underlined thrice with a heavy black pen. Except she could not think of why she had underlined it so many times. Did she believe the sentence had a deeper meaning that perhaps she had forgotten? Or did she consider herself wise for noticing such a profound phrase? Interesting how a person can change, learn, and grow so much in just a week.

So entranced in thought was she that she hadn't noticed the signature squeak of the brakes as the bus pull up to the stop.

"Hey! You comin' or not?" the brisk driver called through the open doors. Suddenly feeling foolish, she jumped to her feet and nearly leapt onto the bus. After depositing her fare, she took a seat on the first horizontal bench and sat next to the window.

She went back to that one line. To never consider death was preposterous, no? It hardly made any sense, and the nostalgia for a life never known was certainly not something to reminisce over.

"Mind if I sit here?" she heard distantly, and nodded without glancing upward. Only when the stranger took a seat did her nose twitch with the smell earth, hinted with spice and citrus. She looked up to her right and was met with striking green eyes.

"Hey again," he smiled at her. "Still reading that book, huh?"

She was at a loss for words. This stranger had remembered her? The thought seemed so absurd that she was sure he had been mistaken. But no; he obviously remembered her physical appearance, downright to the book she had in tow.

She decided to reply naturally.

"I actually finished it. I'm just sifting through for quotes I can use in my analysis," she explained.

The stranger nodded understandably.

"Do you like it?" he wondered aloud.

"I thought it was fantastic; difficult and complex but truly magical," she beamed.

"So where're you headed today?" he asked with a playful smile.

"To the library. I work there part-time," she answered certainly.

"So that's why you take this bus. I thought it just luck that I caught you again."

She blushed at the thought that he considered himself lucky to run into her again.

"And what about you?" she inquired.

"I gotta go run an errand."

"At the same time every Thursday? Or did we just happen upon each other erratically?"

"No, no same time," he answered seamlessly. She decided not to pursue the topic any further. It was none of her business what errands he had to run.

"I'm Jinora, by the way."

"Kai."

They exchanged a friendly handshake, and Kai continued the conversation.

"You must love reading, what with working at a library and being a lit major," he remarked.

"I'm not a lit major," she stated plainly. "Why would you assume that?"

Heated flooded his face, and she was able to hear his heart beating through his chest. He reached a hand behind his neck and started scratching. She'd been right: it was a nervous habit.

"Well, I, er, just… I guess I just… er… assumed… what with books and… uhhh" his voice trailed off, and his level of discomfort was completely clear.

She offered him a gentle smile. She wanted to make sure he knew she was far from being mad or even offended. "It's okay," she reached out and touched the hand closest to her. It was so warm. It felt nice on her icy fingers.

"So er," he coughed. "What is your major?" She removed her hand.

"History, but you weren't far off. I do love reading literature. I just further enjoy learning and discussing history. What about you? What're you majoring in?"

"Oh I'm not in school," he stated plainly.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. You just seemed like my age, so I just completely assumed you'd be in school, too. I am such an idiot, god. I'm really very sorry," she blundered.

"Haha, it's okay. Now we're even," he threw her a lopsided smile, and she was thankful that he was able to let her assumption roll off his back. She opened her mouth to ask what he did do, without going to school that is, but he beat her to it.

"So how is 'A Comparison of World Culture through Timeless Literature' going?" he inquired. Jinora allowed a small giggle to escape her mouth. She just couldn't believe he was able to remember that mouthful of a course name. She smiled at the man with bright green eyes.

"Well," she said. "It's going well. I've got this analytical assessment due Sunday night. After that we wrap up our discussion of Columbia, and move on to Chile with _Last Evenings on Earth_. It's a collection of short stories so it should be a nice change from Garcia Marquez."

Kai opened his mouth to reply at the same instant that the bus's brakes loudly squeaked to a halt. Both Jinora and Kai were thrown forward a bit with the stopping motion of the car.

"This is my stop!" Jinora suddenly stood up with alarm and quickly made her way to the front of the bus in four strides. She had one foot down the stairs when she turned over her shoulder, and smiled at the man with green eyes. "See you next week," she laughed before descending the final stairs, and beginning her short walk on the pavement.

…

What a peculiar girl. What a strange character she was: intelligent and yet brilliantly awkward. He smiled at the thought of seeing her again in seven days. Why did a week suddenly feel so long?

He stared mesmerized by the place she had stood when she waved at him. She had a special way about her that he couldn't seem to get off his mind.

His mind continued to drift like that for a while, and it wasn't until a young blond had gotten on the bus that he was removed from his trance.

"Excuse me, is someone sitting there?" the blond man had asked. He looked up to meet his eyes, and opened his mouth to reply.

"No, please, take a seat," he said, scooting over so that he was now seated by the window. He gazed out of the window, still thinking of that girl with short brown hair and huge, dark brown eyes.

His mind focused in on the streets. The bus passed Avatar Aang Bvld., and a bell rung in his mind. He'd missed his stop! He was supposed to get off two stops ago!

He jumped to his feet, and climbed over the young blond that had taken a seat. He got to the front in just two steps, and asked the bus driver when the next stop was.

"In eight blocks or so," he answered. Kai groaned. How could he have forgotten what stop to get off at! He took a seat right by the door to make sure he was the first one off.

And when the bus did finally come screeching to a stop, he jumped to his feet and nearly ran off the bus.

He tightened his coat. The brisk air hit him in the face like an unexpected slap. He breathed into the front of his sweater, and his feet dragged along the ten extra blocks he had to walk. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

…

The library wasn't at all far from the bus stop, but suddenly those eight blocks felt like twenty. It didn't usually get this cold, and needless to say, Jinora wasn't sure how to dress for the weather. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, and hurried down the street.

When she reached the library, she ran up the steps just to get into the warmth. When she finally did enter, the heat pumping into the building felt like a warm hug around her entire body. She took off her outer coat and scarf, and laid them across her arm. She strode through the entryway towards the grand staircase. Making her way to the second floor, she walked towards the librarian's room to clock-in and hang her coat and scarf. Inside the small room was a round table that seated four, a small counter with a sink and a microwave, and a refrigerator in the corner.

She hung up her coat and laid her scarf over her coat on the rack. She then put her shoulder bag over that, and walked over to the clock-in binder to chart her hours. Her watch read 4:17, but she wrote 4:30 in the box since that's when she was supposed to be there.

She then returned the binder to its spot, and exited the breakroom. She had to get to the front desk so that her coworker could leave. She, on the other hand, had five more hours to spend at this library, shelving books and logging returns.

…

"You're late," the young woman that answered the door remarked. She was clad in a nearly transparent robe, untied and hanging loosely to reveal a bit of her curvy frame in expensive, fancy lingerie. She had her arms folded across her chest, and the stance pushed her breasts together to make them nearly pop out of the tiny bra currently masking them.

"Missed my stop," the man with green eyes explained. He forced himself to look into her blue eyes, framed with thick lashes, instead of a body part that he deemed was a little more deserving of his attention.

The pale woman stretched her mouth into a wide smile. She laughed, perhaps at the idea that the man had to walk more, maybe because she thought the idea of taking a bus amusing, or most probably because she found humor in other's tribulations.

"Well," she said, lacing her arms around the back of the man's neck. The movement forced her robe open further. "We'll have to make up for lost time."

And then her lips were soft and wet on his neck, and her body was pressed up against his, so close that air couldn't even pass. And just as it had come, the pleasure ended. She pulled away and stepped out of the doorway. When she turned, her waist-length fiery curls cascaded down her back and swished with the back and forth motion of her hips.

He knew she was walking towards her bedroom, and he wasted no time in shutting the door behind himself and locking it. Though she lived in a very fancy apartment complex with extra security, bolting the door was an extra measure they both took for when the Mister came back from his game of golf at the club. If he came home earlier than expected, they would have bought themselves at least thirty extra seconds for her to decent herself and for him to hide.

You could never be too careful with rich folk like these; they were just waiting for a chance to sue and persecute. And why shouldn't they? The law was always on their side.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Didn't mean for this chapter to be so long, but it just got away from me! Lot's of dialogue here as our favorite two people bond over shared interests.**

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He was sitting on the bus, silently bobbing his head to the music. He was listening to Radiohead's new album, staring out of the bus window, just thinking. It was finally Thursday, and he was looking forward to seeing a small girl get on the bus, her short, choppy hair flowing with the breath of her life.

And just like that, as he sat there thinking of her beautiful aura, she appeared. He smirked at her attire. It was chilly outside, but the beating sun warmed the air nicely. He wore khakis and a long sleeved flannel shirt—dressing for warmth but not for the tundra.

Jinora on the other hand—god, what a beautiful name—wore light jeans and a professional, high neck sweater. The sweater was a beautiful crimson, and a second shirt just peaked out at the collar and hem—a white t shirt by the looks of it. She wore an enormous grey coat that nearly reached her knees, and her hands were firmly pressed into the pockets of her coat. To top it all off, she wore a warm beanie that had her hair tucked into it.

She caught his eye and smiled widely. He felt his own face widen when hers lit up. As she deposited her fare, he removed his earbuds, and then she approached him. He was sitting on the vertical benches at the very front of the bus, and she took a seat on his left.

"Hey again," he greeted.

"Hello," she said back.

"So no book today?" he asked.

She grinned again at his words, and she answered, "No, I finished my analysis on García Márquez and I'm nearly through with _Last Evenings on Earth._ "

"Is it good so far?"

"Wonderful, honestly. It has elements of fiction intertwined with history, and I absolutely love his writing style."

"Who wrote it?" Kai asked the next logical question.

"Roberto Bolaño," she answered easily.

There was a pause in the conversation here, and Jinora decided to finally bring up a topic of her own.

"I love your tattoo," she commented.

He gave her a quizzical look. "Which one?"

She held his palm in her own, and rotated his wrist to reveal a small, symmetrical, geometric pattern. "This one," she said.

"Oh thanks," he replied.

"Does it mean anything?"

"Er, yeah. It's 'freedom' in Adrinkan."

"That's amazing. I'm looking forward to our West African unit in my class."

"Oh yea? I'll be honest, most people have no idea what I mean when I say Adrinkan."

"Guess I'm not most people," she shrugged. "Do you have other tattoos?"

"Yea, a few," he replied shortly. "What about you?"

"Hm?" she asked back, too entranced by his palm to listen to his question. She pulled her eyes away and looked him in the face.

"Any tattoos?" he repeated.

She looked down at her lap and played with her hands.

"Well, uh…" she trailed of.

"What is it? Regret it?" he assumed.

"No, no, not that at all. It's just… not in a place that I—"

"I understand," he cut her off. "Describe it."

"Describing doesn't do it justice," she stated simply. He supposed that was correct; no one could truly make another visualize the beauty of body art.

"My stop's coming up," she told him with a hint of sadness in her voice, but offered him a pleasant smile and added, "See you next time."

He smiled back, suddenly finding himself disappointed that their conversation would have to stop.

…

At exactly 4 _:_ 31 Kai got a text that read _No golf 2day_

Kai let out a huff of frustration. Her husband had apparently not gone to their club today, so he had now ridden the bus thirty minutes for nothing. What was he supposed to do now?

His mind lit up like a match when he suddenly realized that the library was only a ten minute walk from the current street corner he stood on.

He headed down General Iroh, took a turn onto Airbender Avenue, and finally stood in front of the massive stone building. The doors were at least twenty stairs above the ground, so he began his ascent in the brisk weather, and opened the huge door. He'd never entered the library before, but it was three stories high and had magnificent architecture—strong elements of Greco-Roman edifices.

He looked around the first floor and tried to find the front desk; he assumed she'd be sitting there. And just as predicted, Kai finally found her seated behind a high desk. She had removed her coat and beanie, but still had two shirts on to keep warm. He smiled as he walked over.

"Excuse me, miss."

She glanced up, and he couldn't help but notice the way her eyes lit up when she saw his face. He shared her smile, suddenly feeling warmth rush his body from the inside.

"Hi," she said simply, her voice slightly breathless.

"You busy?" he asked.

"Just have to reshelve a few books," she shrugged, still with a goofy smile.

"You want some help?"

"What happened to your appointment?"

"Got cancelled. Thought I'd drop by."

She stood up swiftly and fixed her sweater; it had gotten bunched up where she'd been sitting. "Then let's go put some books away," she said and led the way through the library.

They talked in hushed whispers while he helped her shelve books.

"So if you're not a student what do you?" she asked him out of curiosity.

He gave her a shrug. "I'm still trying to figure it out. I'd like to study art history, but just don't have the money for school."

"Why art history?" she prodded.

"I'm an artist in my spare time."

"What do you like to draw?"

"People. I people watch and like to draw what I see," he answered simply.

"I'd like to see some of your drawings," she smiled.

"I, er," he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "I have my sketchbook on me."

Her face brightened, and she said, "Can I flip through it?"

"Er, yeah, sure," he answered. He bent down to get the black backed book out of his knapsack, and handed her the binding.

She took it from his hands and opened up its contents. He moved to stand next to her so he could watch her expressions on his different sketches. He'd drawn a variety of subjects from men sitting at a coffee shop to a woman receiving a tattoo on her lower back, and even some nude drawings—of women, mainly.

She paused on one woman in particular. The subject was curvaceous and had long curly hair. She was naked, though her long hair covered most of her breasts. She sat on a clearly soft and compressible mattress. Jinora's fingers traced over the sketch.

"This is incredibly perceptual," she told him. "You did an amazing job at capturing the energy in her expression."

"Er, thanks," he said.

She flipped the page to an elderly woman seated with an oxygen tank sipping her espresso next to a window.

"This is a good friend of mine—Janice," he explained here, and pointed at the woman. "I used to talk to her all the time when I'd go to this little old coffee shop. She wanted me to draw her, and I'd never drawn a subject like her before, so I did. I never got a chance to show her," he finished sadly. Jinora didn't need further explanation.

"It's beautiful," she said, looking into his face. She stared into his eyes—she could see the pain firmly etched in his magnificent green eyes. When she looked at him, she wondered if he'd ever known a family or what being loved felt like. She knew she didn't truly know this stranger—just his name and his drawing capabilities—but for some reason she could feel his spirit whenever their eyes met.

She tore her gaze away from his, and looked back to his sketchbook, leafing through the different depictions.

"Oh my god, my younger sister would love this one," she told him while pointing to a sketch of a boy doing a cartwheel, the sketch drawn in midair.

"What about it?" he asked.

"She's a gymnast," Jinora explained. "She's been doing gymnastics for nearly fifteen years, now."

While Jinora continued to sift through his drawings, Kai wondered aloud, "What's your family like?"

"My younger sister is just two years younger than me. She's twenty. My younger brother is now seventeen, and the youngest is nearly fourteen now."

"Wow, that's a lot of people living under one roof," he threw her a lopsided grin as he laughed. "What're their names?"

"Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan—we get along most of the time, but it's just hard. Living at home when you're an adult."

"You live at home?" he asked, completely free of judgement. She still seemed embarrassed though, and pushed a loose hair behind her ear.

"Er, yeah. I'm saving my money for after graduation, but I know it's still super lame that I live with my big, annoying family. My father thinks it's for the best, but he just wants to keep a close eye on me."

"Jinora! Do I hear resentment in your voice?" he joked.

She laughed with him, and said, "Resentment is an understatement. I'm twenty-two years old, and he won't let me live my life!"

"What does your dad do?" he asked.

"He's a professor at my university. I swear, it's like I can never get away from him."

"What's he teach?"

"Art history."

Kai coughed, having choked on his own spit. "Is your dad Professor Tenzin?" he exclaimed.

"Er, yeah. Why? Do you know him? I thought you didn't go to university?"

He suddenly blushed a deep shade of vermillion. "Shit," he breathed.

"What?"

"I don't go to school. I'm really interested in art history, though so I…" he paused here, and Jinora waited for him to continue. "I sometimes sit in on art history lectures."

She smiled at his desire to learn, and giggled, "How often is sometimes?"

"Er, well," he scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe more often than I like to let on."

"I wonder if my dad's ever seen you," she thought aloud.

"I doubt it. I try to sit in the back. I don't want to attract attention and get kicked out."

"You'd be surprised by his perceptive abilities," she gave him a sly smile.

"You won't tell him, right?" he asked, suddenly worried.

"Of course not," she responded. "I doubt he'd have a problem with it anyways, but your secret's safe with me."

They stood there staring goofily at one another for a while, so Jinora took it as her turn to speak.

"What's your family like?" she inquired.

"Uh," he hesitated. "Boring, you don't wanna know about them."

A heavy silence sat in the air, and Jinora was about to pry further into the stranger's life, but he beat her to it.

"We, er, should probably get back to shelving, huh?"

Jinora closed his sketchbook, and glanced at her watch. It was nearly a quarter after five, and he was totally right. Jinora needed to finish putting away the books.

"Let me take some," he smiled, and picked up the first four books on the cart.

"Wait," Jinora giggled. "That's so inefficient. You should take all the books for one section."

"But if you take the books for all different sections then it's like a game," he said simply.

"A game? How do you figure?"

He smirked a charming white-toothed smile at her. "I bet I can finish the top row before you finish the bottom."

She felt a smile growing on her face, and she didn't even try to hide it, "Let's play."

And together they sped away to pick up the books, giggling and running through the aisles.

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 **A/N: Please let me know what you think. Honestly, any feed back is welcome. Even negative, if you must.**


	4. Chapter 4

"A hot Yerba Mate, please."

His ears perked up at the sound of that voice. He turned around to look behind him, and lo and behold, Jinora was standing at the counter, her short hair hanging loosely down her cheeks, just shielding her face as she bent over to search for coins.

She went to brush a strand behind her ear, and he suddenly felt hot—a nice comfortable hot that sweetly complemented the icy wind outside.

He was sitting in an artsy coffee shop, known for its alternative crowd. He never in a million years expected to find her here.

And yet here she was, standing at the counter just fifteen feet from him. He set down his sketchbook—he'd been drawing one of the baristas—and walked over to the counter.

He walked up to her, but didn't even need to get her attention. She immediately turned around when he stood behind her; he guessed she must've heard him walking up.

"Hi," she said breathlessly.

"Hey," he greeted back.

"What a coincidence to find each other here," she smirked.

"A good coincidence," he added and could do nothing but smile at the blush that formed on her cheeks.

"So what are you doing here?" she inquired. The barista had just given her a big mug of black coffee, and she picked it up by the handle. Together they walked to the little condiment counter so she could splash a bit of almond milk and a scoop of sugar in her tea.

"I come here often to draw," he told her. "The big windows provide a lot of natural lighting, and I find sunlight the best light to draw in."

"So you've been here a lot?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. Couple times a week," he repeated.

She began to laugh.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"My house is like three blocks from here. I come here literally all the time."

And then he began to laugh, too.

"To think we might've seen each other long before that bus ride."

She smiled at his statement, albeit a bit goofily. She could feel the nerdy, wide smile stretching across her face, but something about Kai made her feel giddy.

They were still standing by the condiment island, so Kai gestured to the table his stuff was currently occupying. "Do you want to sit with me?" he asked.

"Sure, thanks," she replied. They walked over to the small wooden table and took a seat.

"So who're you drawing?" she asked once she'd sat down at the seat opposite him.

"I was drawing that barista," he opened his sketchbook and pointed at the dark man behind the counter with dreadlocks to his shoulders.

"It's incredible," she told him, looking between the unfinished drawing and the man behind the counter.

"Can I ask you a sorta serious question?"

She looked up from his drawing.

"Of course. What is it?"

He opened his mouth to ask whatever was on his mind, but her reaction to something behind him made him pause. She yelped and concealed her mouth with her fingers, ducking her head, her lip quivering between her fingers.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

She didn't answer, her eyes were focused on something behind him. He made to turn around, but she stopped him, whispering "No!" rather loudly.

"Jinora, what's going on?" he demanded.

"An old friend of mine just walked in," she admitted.

Kai raised an eyebrow at her, and she moved her head to look him in the eyes.

"An old _boy_ friend of mine," she elaborated.

"Where is he?" Kai inquired.

"Standing at the counter," she said, looking away from him and gazing instead at the artwork on the walls.

Kai turned slowly around to look at the boy who stood by the counter. He wore pleated khakis and a long sleeve collared shirt. His hair was cut short, and Kai couldn't help but notice the fat watch on his left wrist.

"You dated that preppy douchebag?" he asked, bewildered.

"In high school, yes. My father really liked him so we dated for three years."

"What happened?" he asked.

"After I graduated, I realized I was an adult and didn't need my father's approval with who I date. So I broke up with him, and…" her voice trailed off.

"And what?" Kai demanded.

"And nothing. That's it," she said.

"Jinora?" a smooth, confident voice called from behind Kai. He heard a small "Damn" escape her mouth, and she groaned.

"Yes. Hi Hasook," she greeted back with a small—very small—wave.

He walked over to her, puffing out his chest with his good posture. She did her best not to gag on the scent of Axe that emanated from him.

"Isn't this like seeing a ghost from the past? How've you been?"

"Fine," she answered shortly.

"Just fine? I heard you were at UUR. How're your classes?"

"They're fine."

He gave her a look of clear annoyance. He clearly expected her to be a bit friendlier. Suddenly feeling bad, she asked him about his life.

"Are you still at the Southern Waters College?"

"Yeah, I am, thanks for asking," his mouth widened into a clearly practiced artificial smile. It repulsed her.

"Graduation's coming up, so that's exciting," he continued the conversation.

"Yes, just a few more months, now."

A movement out of her peripheral made her look away from him. Kai was nervously scratching the back of his neck again.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm being rude," Jinora realized. "Hasook, this is my friend, Kai."

Hasook looked at the ragged man as if he had only just now noticed him.

"Pleasure," he said monotonously, his clean voice tainted with clear disgust. He didn't even offer a hand.

But Kai knew just how to treat these people.

"No, no, really the pleasure is all mine," he said with far too much friendliness for Jinora's liking. He immediately stood up, and made to extend his hand for a proper handshake. But when his right hand approached Hasook's chest, Kai immediately faltered, and his hand instead made contact with the boiling coffee from his mug. The coffee splashed down the front of Hasook's pants, and the ceramic mug shattered on the floor.

The man fumbled to cool off his burned skin, while Kai reached for a paper towel.

"Aw, man, I am so sorry. I am such a klutz, god. Please let me." He proceeded to roughly dab the man's front with the paper towel. Jinora suppressed a giggle as she watched Hasoook's already pained expression explode into agony.

"Ow ow ow ow ow! Gerroff me! Gerroff me!" Hasook yelped as he pushed Kai away.

Jinora immediately stood up, and smiled at Hasook.

"Well as always, it was nice to see you, Hasook, but Kai and I need to go," Jinora said with firm stiffness.

Kai followed her lead, and waved off at the man, "See ya 'round, Sook!"

Once they were safely outside, Jinora started to laugh. She laughed and laughed and couldn't seem to stop. Kai joined in, and now neither of them could stop their laughter. They had to stop walking; laughing so hard made it difficult to stand up straight. When they were finally able to catch their breath, Jinora looked up at him.

"That was amazing," she complimented.

"I do my best," he shrugged a bit cockily.

"No, no, I am being a hundred percent serious. That was the most terrific thing to happen to me, today."

He turned to face her, and she thought she may have noticed just a hint of a blush forming on his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck, and couldn't think of what to say. When he said nothing, Jinora said simply, "Thank you."

Her tone had suddenly turned serious, and she read his expression, which clearly looked freaked out.

A long silence passed, and Jinora suddenly remembered something:

"What were you gonna ask me?"

"Huh?"

"Before Hasook showed up. What were you gonna ask me?" she repeated.

"Oh, I, er, don't remember," he shrugged. She wasn't sure if she believed him or not, but she decided to let it go. There were plenty of things she didn't know about him, but there were plenty of things he didn't know about her.

"So, er what're you up to now?" he asked.

She didn't know how to respond. She wasn't necessarily up to anything for the rest of the day. She just had that thing at eight o'clock, but it was only 1:30.

"Oh damn," she suddenly said to herself.

"What? What is it?" he demanded.

"I just totally spaced about something important," she told him. They connected eyes, and Kai was able to see just how worried she was.

"What're you doing tonight?" she asked suddenly.

He gave her a confused look. She realized she was making absolutely no sense.

"Sorry, sorry, let me explain," she said.

He waited for her to continue.

"Some friends of mine are getting married tonight, and I was supposed to bring a date. I just kept pushing it off, and I just realized the date got away from me. It's tonight."

She stopped talking here, so that she could see his response. His face was still clouded with confusion though, so she elaborated.

"Would you come with me?"

He looked taken aback. He took a long pause, and Jinora assumed he was weighing the possibilities in his head. Her heart was racing; she hoped he wouldn't decline. She really needed to bring a date. She felt she'd reached an age where it was expected you bring a date to a wedding you were participating in.

The silence persisted, and she suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. She felt a blush crawling across her face, and she couldn't believe she'd been so forward. She hardly knew this man!

"You, uh, don't have to, of course. I mean, I didn't mean for it to be weird, I just felt like… I don't know… the date got away from me, and I , er… I'm sorry," she blundered. Realization dawned across his face, and he made to speak.

"No, no, Jinora. I'd really like to go with you tonight. Honestly, I would, but I, er…"

Jinora finished his sentence in her mind, and said, "It's okay if you already have plans."

"I don't have plans," Kai assured. At least he didn't have plans he didn't mind cancelling; going to a bar to pick up a girl on Saturday night wasn't exactly set in stone.

Jinora looked at him with utter confusion. What was he trying to say?

"I, er…" he scratched his neck and looked down at his feet. "I just don't think I have something nice enough to wear to a wedding…" he told her honestly.

She gave him a light smile. She was happy to know she hadn't weirded him out and that he didn't have plans for the evening. She made him look her in the eyes by placing an arm on his bicep.

"I can take care of that. I'm sure my brother's clothes will fit you. I'm just so happy to know you can come with me. I really didn't wanna have to go alone."

"I wouldn't want you to go alone," he admitted.

She blushed and only hoped he wouldn't see. She took out her phone.

"Here," she said. "Put in your number, and I'll text you my address. Meet me at my house for 7:00."

He took the phone, but looked at her skeptically. "What if your brothers' clothes don't fit?"

"How tall are you?"

He shrugged, "Six one?"

"My brother's six-feet. I'm sure it'll fit. And if not, my dad has a suit a little bigger."

"As long as you're confident," he said and typed his seven digits into the phone. He handed it back to her, and she immediately typed a new message to his number and put in her address.

"Okay, I have to go now, but meet me there at 7:00. Is that okay?"

"That's great."

She offered him one last smile and then waved him goodbye

His eyes followed her all the way down the street until she had become small enough to fit in his pocket, and he stared until she turned a corner.

* * *

 **A/N: And now our two favorite people are meeting up on _purpos_ e. Wonder what'll happen...**

 **Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So Kai agreed to go to the wedding with Jinora. Of course, before attending they have to get dressed for the occasion.**

* * *

Jinora was upstairs brushing her lashes with mascara when the doorbell rang. She immediately stopped what she was doing, and called to the rest of her house, "I'll get it."

But when she'd reached the living room, her father was already standing in the open doorway, clad in a white t-shirt and dress trousers. Jinora was one of the bridesmaids, so she had to be early; her family would follow closer to the time of the wedding.

"Kai," he stated.

"Yes sir, that's me." Kai offered a hand, and Tenzin stared at it for a moment. He took the young man's hand, but wouldn't drop his eyes.

"Have we met before?" he asked.

Jinora could swear she heard him gulp. "Er, no sir."

She decided it was time to intervene. "Okay, Dad, go before you scare my date away."

Tenzin turned around and stared at his daughter. If looks could kill...

"Date?!" he nearly shouted. "You said you were going as friends."

"We are friends, but he is my date to the wedding," she tried hard to keep the condescension out of her voice.

Tenzin made to walk away—very slowly—and Jinora walked up to the door.

"Thanks for coming," she greeted. "Please, come in." She was wearing an oversized t shirt that nearly reached her knees.

"Obviously, I'm running late," she laughed. "I need to finish getting ready, but I'll show you where you can get dressed," she explained. "Follow me."

She led him through the living room, and Kai tried his best to keep up. He just hadn't expected Jinora's house to be so big.

And then there were stairs. Kai had maybe been in a house with stairs once.

But she led him up them like it was no big deal. Once up the stairs, they entered a hallway, and Jinora led him to the first door on the right. She knocked.

"Meelo?" she called.

"Yeah?" a voice on the other side replied.

Jinora pushed open the door, and peaked her head inside. "Did you set aside that suit?" she asked.

"What suit?" he answered.

She opened the door further, so she was standing inside his room. Kai hung behind.

"The suit for my friend. I was there when Mom talked to you about it!" she complained. Meelo was laying on his bed doing something on his laptop. He immediately set aside the computer and started laughing.

"I'm messing with you, Jinora. It's on the door of the closet."

Jinora was too busy walking over to the closet to notice Meelo had stood up and strode over to the doorway.

"So you're Kai?" Meelo looked at the man standing in his doorway.

"Yeah. Meelo, right?" Kai offered a hand to the boy that was nearly his height.

"Don't wear it out," Meelo answered with a toothy smile, shaking the man's hand.

Jinora had grabbed the suit and turned around to watch the two boys.

"What're you up to?" Kai said smoothly, pointing over to his laptop.

"Calculus," Meelo answered. "It's dreadful."

Kai let out a laugh. "Yeah, numbers never were my strength," he admitted.

"I mean, I'm pretty good at Calculus. It just isn't my favorite," Meelo explained with a bit of attitude.

"Bull," Jinora interjected with a smile. She walked over to the two boys. "You can't do basic algebra."

Meelo let out a deep, loud laugh. "I'm totally messing with you," Meelo addressed Kai. "I'm essentially dyscalculic."

Kai gave Meelo a look of contempt. "I don't like being lied to," he said in a suddenly uncharacteristically serious voice. Jinora froze. Had Meelo pushed a button?

But then Kai burst into laughter. "I'm kidding," he told the teen "Don't look so serious." He patted Meelo on the back, and the kid returned his smile.

Meelo nervously chuckled, "I'll admit. You had me fooled."

"You got a thing or two to learn about messing with people," Kai winked. Meelo started laughing again, and said in reply:

"I'll have to start trying harder," he said.

"You will indeed," Kai laughed back.

Jinora suddenly remembered the time.

"Love to stay and chat, little bro, but we're running late," she said. She just about pushed Kai out of the doorway, and Meelo shut it gently behind them.

She gave Kai the suit, and showed him to the upstairs bathroom. "My room's across the hall, so just knock when you're finished and I'll let you in," she told him. He nodded his understanding, and Jinora left him to change into clothes a bit more suitable for a wedding.

She entered her own room, and continued to apply her makeup. She massacred the other eye, and ran a pink blush across both cheeks. She slipped off her oversized t shirt, and stepped into her dress, the soft velvet clinging to her fingertips.

She brushed a few knots out of her hair, and walked to her jewelry box. She put in small golden hoops, and hooked a delicate necklace around her neck. She wore a few rings on the hand without her watch. Finally, she pulled on her black crew socks with a lace trim, and then tugged on heeled black booties.

She was just looking at her ensemble one last time before the knock sounded at her door. "Jinora?" Kai's hesitant voice called.

"You can come in," she told him. He opened the door slowly, and stepped through the threshold.

Jinora thought he looked nice in her brother's dark grey suit. Her mother had selected one of her father's dark green ties to wear to complement her dress. She just now noticed the tie also complemented his eyes well, making the imitable green brighter than the grass on a fresh summer day.

Kai on the other hand did his best not to stare. Her hair hung loosely, as always, down the sides of her face, just barely brushing against her shoulders. Her dress, though, was where he really wanted to lay his eyes. The long-sleeved dress hugged her waist, which he now realized was incredibly small. It pleated out and reached just a few inches above her knee. The dark green material glittered like the lighting of a thousand suns. The neckline as a modest V—diving into her chest, but not as much as Kai would have preferred.

 _Get those filthy thoughts outta your head!_ Kai screamed to himself.

He cleared his throat, and addressed her, "You look nice."

"Thank you. You look lovely, too," she complemented. Shel glanced at her watch. It was only 7:20. They would be fine. "Would you zip me?"

She approached him, and spun around.

The unzipped dress scooped low, to the small of her back, revealing flawlessly smooth skin. And her ink.

Her spine was tattooed in an elaborate line with seven diamond-like shapes. The ink was a faded brown, and it perfectly complemented the warm hues of her skin. He had an urge to trace his fingers along her spine, and suddenly felt hot. He shook his head to rid his mind of _ideas_.

"I like it," he said.

"Oh that?" she twisted her neck around to look at him, and he saw the faint, pink blush that dusted her cheeks.

"What is it?" he asked as his fingers hitched on the zipper of the smooth velvet dress.

"It's meditative," she told him. He'd finished zipping the dress up, and she turned to face him. "It's imagery of the body's seven chakras, for purposes of abandoning pain and living life in happiness."

He smiled just a little bit and gave a small shrug. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you," she said. Her tone suddenly turned a little harsh. "Don't say anything about it tonight! Er, nobody really knows about it."

"Does you dad?" Kai nearly laughed.

"Are you kidding?" she spurted.

They laughed a bit together, and then Jinora realized they'd really ought to get going.

"Alright, let's get out of here," she smiled. She began walking to her door, and he followed her lead, but she suddenly made a noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a whine.

"Perfume!" she exclaimed to herself. "I almost forgot."

She hurried over to her chest of drawers, and reached for the small rollerball of oil. She grazed it across her pulse points, and turned back to Kai.

"Now let's go."

Kai made to leave first, and Jinora followed behind him. She shut off her lights, and closed her door.

"Lead the way," Kai said. She nodded and took a few steps to walk in front of him.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, Jinora grabbed her big coat from the coat rack and pulled it on over her dress. Kai felt better now that he didn't have to fight not to stare at her in her oversized wool coat.

"We're off to Korra's wedding," Jinora called to the rest of the house. Pema had just exited what Kai assumed to be the kitchen to see them off.

"Have fun, sweetie. We'll catch up with you," Pema said, and made to let them out.

"I called a cab, for you two," Tenzin came out of the same room his wife had. "I think I saw it pull up outside."

"Thanks, Dad," she called to her father. "See you all there."

She walked out the door with Kai in tow, and let out a breath of relief when the lock clicked. Kai noticed, and he smiled at her knowingly.

Jinora smiled back and shook her head in a silent laugh.

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you thought about it! Questions, comments, concerns: just leave me a review!**

 **I'm pretty excited for the next chapter, I'll admit.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry this one's so late. It totally got away from me. I was not planning on it being so long, but there was just so much to get to!**

 **I think Korrasami shippers will be pleased...**

* * *

"Hold up," Kai began. He set down his silverware onto the table so he could address seaters of the table with his hands. "You liked him, but he was dating her, and then you kissed him. But then you two started dating and then you broke up. So you two started dating again and then you both stopped dating him. And now we're at a wedding because both of your exes started dating?!"

The entire idea seemed completely ridiculous, but everyone at the table thought nothing of it.

"That's basically how it went down," Korra offered.

"Korra and I were really good friends, and then…" Asami began.

"I don't know something shifted in our friendship. We both noticed it; it just took us a while to realize what it was."

"Love," Asami said, and despite sitting down, she wrapped an arm around her best friend.

"Well, I'll be honest here. As confusing as it is, I am very happy for both of you," Kai gave a smile.

Kai shook his head in a soft laughter and went back to eating his meal. The food really was excellent, but Kai wasn't a huge fan of champagne. It tasted like ass.

They were all sitting outside on a gorgeous outdoor patio, some 20 stories high that looked over Republic City.

The patio was strewn with sporadic, floating lights. Looking up into the open sky, the glittering lights were like stars. The landscaping of the courtyard was beautiful with small shrubs bordering the edges and small potted trees standing here and there. Though outside in the middle of winter, small, standing heaters were erect throughout the courtyard and with the people and bodies, it wasn't cold at all.

There was a flooring cleared away for the purposes of dancing. The elaborate, tilework that served as the floor resembled a beautiful lotus. On the other side of the dancefloor, seven elegant white-tableclothed, round tables stood on the green grass. Kai and Jinora were currently sitting with the two brides and the other members of the wedding and their dates: Bolin with his girlfriend, Opal; Mako with Wu.

"So Jinora, how did you and Kai meet?" Opal asked, her eyes full of wonder and interest.

"We started talking a few weeks ago on a bus," Jinora answered simply.

"That's random," Mako said. His tone made Kai look him in the face; it wasn't light by any stretch of the word.

"It was," Kai said, giving Mako a curious look. "A really nice coincidence, actually."

"Real nice," he replied with narrowed eyes. Kai felt hot under his stare. Why was he acting like he knew something Kai didn't?

Kai decided the best solution was to ignore it. If the guy wanted to come out and talk to him about something, he'd think of something then.

"So, Kai, tell us about yourself. What do you like to do?" Korra said with a wide smile.

"He's an artist," Jinora answered for him. He gave a nod in concurrence.

"An artist? Well that's perfect for you, Jinny," Wu said with a goofy smile.

"Don't call me that," Jinora sent daggers at Wu. He always insisted on nicknaming her that, and for the life of her, Jinora couldn't understand why.

"Why is that perfect for you?" Kai said, suddenly curious. Was Jinora really into artists or something?

 _Shut up!_

"She's an artist," Wu gave Jinora a sly smirk. Jinora knew exactly what he was doing.

"You're an artist?" Kai said. He was surprised. Why hadn't she told him?

"In a matter of speaking," Jinora said softly. She blushed and pushed a loose hair behind her ear.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked. He was suddenly intrigued.

"She—" Wu began, but Korra cut him off.

"Wu! Jinora can speak for herself!"

Wu gave her a hurt look, and held up his hands in surrender, "Fine."

"Princess," Korra said under her breath with an eye roll.

"I'm a dancer," Jinora finally answered Kai's question.

"That's incredible," Kai said with a toothy smile.

"Thanks," Jinora tried her best to hide her blush by letting her hair fall into her face. She took a sip of her icy champagne to try to cool down her face.

"What sort of stuff do you draw, Kai?" Asami asked before taking a bite of her entrée.

"People—movements, expressions, breath. I'm really fascinated by the human body," he answered.

"He's really talented," Jinora added.

"So is Jinora," Wu threw in, and Jinora shot him a playful glare. She of course appreciated the complement, but he couldn't be being more obvious that he was trying to throw the two youngsters together.

"You know what took real talent?" Jinora began. "The wedding. It was a beautiful service, you guys."

"That's sweet, Jinora," Korra said with an appreciative grin. "But, honestly it was all Asami."

"What?" Asami said, sounding surprised.

"I think the only task she left me in charge of was the seating chart, and even then she switched around everyone I placed," Korra addressed the rest of the table with a laugh.

"Not true!" Asami scoffed. "I left our table untouched."

Korra shrugged at Jinora, "There you go. My one task."

Jinora giggled.

"But now you two are married, so you can take the credit, Korra!" Bolin said.

Korra laughed, "True." She lightly punched Asami on the arm.

"I swear, it was a dual effort," Asami argued.

The entire table erupted into laughter.

"So how did you two meet?" Kai asked Bolin and Opal. He was still trying to piece together how everyone was connected.

"Through Korra, actually," Opal answered. "Bolin and Korra were really close friends, and Korra and I were partnered together in bio for our whole senior year. We became pretty close, and she introduced me to Bolin."

"But I never would've had the guts to ask her out if it weren't for my big bro, here," Bolin patted Mako on the back.

"But he did, so now we're together," Opal finished with a smile.

"What about you two?" Kai address Mako and Wu. "Did Bolin help give you the courage to ask Wu out?"

Silence.

Nobody at the table said a word. Kai looked around. Many jaws were dropped; Korra certainly looked on the verge of laughter. And then she gave in.

Once Korra started laughing, Asami had to join in. Jinora was close to follow, then Opal. Bolin tried his very, very, _very_ best to keep a straight face, but to no avail.

Mako's face was the color of cerise, and Wu would meet no one's eyes.

"Did I say something?" Kai hesitantly asked the table.

"Wu and I aren't dating," Mako said sounding very stiff.

His admittance made the table's laughter even louder, and now even Bolin joined in.

Kai suddenly felt very self-conscious. He scratched the back of his neck, and gave Mako a weak smile.

"Er, sorry," he said. "I, er, guess I just assumed… er… my bad."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Kai," Asami said with a smile. "Believe me, we all do it."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"Everyone thinks Wu and I are dating!" Mako said, exasperated.

"But you're not?" Kai clarified.

"Depends on your definition," Wu said with an eyebrow waggle.

Kai joined in on the laughter this time. In fact, it was just Mako who couldn't find it funny.

"I'm going to the bathroom," he said suddenly and rose from the table.

When he was out of earshot, Kai asked, "Is he okay?"

"He _really_ doesn't like it when we laugh about Wu and him dating," Korra told him.

"Well how did you two meet? As friends, of course," Kai addressed Wu.

"Mako's a police officer, and he was assigned to protect me. I'm sort of a prince, you see," Wu smiled smugly. "But through his protectiveness, our friendship was born," Wu finished.

"Sort of a prince?" Kai asked for clarification.

"The only thing Wu is an heir to his enormous head," Korra said, rolling her eyes.

Wu mocked offense, "Korra, I'm surprised by you!"

Korra cracked a smile and Wu returned it.

The busboys had then come to take all of their dishes away. Kai was so entranced by the disappearing plates that he didn't at first notice the voice over the speaker.

"Can I have everyone's attention? Everyone?"

They all looked up. Mako was standing in the center of the dancefloor, holding a microphone.

"Alright, I wanna thank everyone for coming out tonight. I know I speak for both of the beautiful brides when I say your support and love is very much appreciated.

"In keeping with tradition, I wanted to introduce the newlyweds for their first dance. Korra, Asami: get down here."

Asami turned to the rest of the table, her face red, "I can't believe he's doing this." But her bright smile revealed her fascination.

"C'mon," Korra stood up first and grabbed her hand. Korra walked towards the dancefloor. The mocha girl was clad in a beautiful white gown. Though simple, it was nonetheless stunning. The neck was high, and the sleeves were tight and long—revealing the musculature underneath. There was no elaborate lace or elegant train to her dress; the simplicity made it extraordinarily unique.

Following in her wake, the ivory woman wore an intricate, beige dress that plunged deep into her chest, highlighting her modest breasts. The gown was made of a lacy, flowery design that wrapped all the way down her arms, bodice, and skirt. She had a thin skirt slip to ensure the transparency of the gown didn't reveal too much.

On their way to the stage, Mako was talking:

"So most people know of Korra, Asami, and I's... _embarrassing_ relationship," Mako paused for the laughter that followed. "So it may seem odd that I'm up here to introduce these two beautiful women, but…

"But Korra and Asami are two of my very best friends. We have been through so much together, and I could not be happier tonight for the both of them.

"I like to think I know Korra and Asami better than they know themselves, but then I have been called patronizing." Another pause for laughter.

"So believe me when I tell you that there is no better match on this planet than Korra and Asami. Korra, you have been one of my best friends since you were sixteen. And I'll admit, we didn't get along at first, but you really are an amazing person. Albeit, a little aggressive." More laughter as family and friends recalled times of Korra's aggressive tendencies.

"But with your aggressive nature comes passion; you are one of the most passionate people I know, and I know that's a quality that will never burn out.

"Asami, you are such an intelligent and bright woman. Your intellect helps you to think things through and you never let your emotions cloud your judgement. That's probably how we've been able to keep friends." Another light burst of laughter.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he added, laughing to himself. "But seriously, you have a talent for thinking in the long-term. Perfectly aligned with Korra's quick temper. Your chemistry is undeniable, and your love unfathomable. I'm gonna get out of the way and let the brides get their dance, but I wanna leave one lasting remark:

"When it comes to love, sooner is so much infinitely better than later. Thank you!"

Korra and Asami reached the stage and both wrapped Mako in a tight embrace. They were sharing their thanks for his funny and flattering speech. Once Mako had stepped off the stage, piano chords were heard over the speakers.

Korra and Asami came together as the song began. They leaned in close and pressed their bodies against one another as Aretha Franklin's gorgeous, alto voice carried through the speakers:

" _Looking out on the morning rain…_ "

…

The music started and the brides look magnificent under the twinkling lights, but all Kai could look at was the smiling girl next to him. She was just beaming as she watched her two very best friends share their first dance as a married couple. Her big brown eyes were full of joy and her short hair pushed behind her ears. Kai couldn't stop looking at the beautiful woman in front of him.

As others began to join the newlyweds on the dance floor, Jinora looked even happier: Bolin pulled in Opal, and Tenzin swayed with Pema. Meelo bowed deep to his older sister, and Ikki laughed at him but nonetheless agreed to a dance. Mako and Wu stood near each other in an awkward silence, and Kai laughed at Mako's expression.

Kai was so mesmerized by Jinora's beauty that he at first didn't know he was being addressed. When it registered that she'd spoken, he asked her to repeat herself.

"Oh, it was just a thought. We, er, don't have to."

Kai raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"What?"

"I missed what you said," he told her.

She looked relieved. "Oh! Well, er, would you like to dance?"

"Dance?" he repeated.

"We don't have to!" she said far too quickly.

"No, no, it's not that! I, er… I'd like to," he ended with a smile.

She said nothing, but offered him a wide smile—perfectly plump lips and beautiful white teeth being revealed. She stood up and took his hand to lead him to the floor.

He let her walk in front and they made their way through the thin crowd. She stopped at a relatively empty spot and turned to face him. She gave him a reassuring smile and pulled him towards her.

"Ever danced before?" she asked.

"Yeah!" he said cockily.

She gave him a quizzical look, and he look down. "Er, well, I've danced to more _upbeat_ music."

She laughed as she understood that he was nervous because he had never slow-danced with someone before.

"So not even at your high school prom?" she giggled.

"I, er, didn't go," he admitted.

"Well, just follow my lead," she said with a mock know-it-all voice. She guided his right hand to wrap around her waist. She rested her left hand near the collar of his jacket. They interlocked their free hands.

As Amy Winehouse rasped:

" _If my man is fighting some unholy war…"_

Their hips moved in tandem, in sync with the rhythmic beating of the music. As they swayed round in a circle, their feet rocked back and forth with the weight of their bodies. She felt her heart match the gentle thumping of the snare, and she was able to count the beats with her sense of touch.

He was nervous about the dance, but that initial fear began to evaporate as she led him through the motions. The touch of her soft velvet rubbed his calloused hands, and she was able to lay her hand smoothly against the collar of his sleek suit. Or her brother's sleek suit, she supposed.

Her hair moved with their slowly turning bodies, but he kept his eyes locked with her own. She wouldn't drop his gaze, and he wouldn't think about dropping hers. He only noticed she was speaking because her lips moved suddenly.

"You're a natural," she said without removing the smile from her face.

"Must be 'cause I've got such a great lead," he admitted.

"That sounds about right," she laughed.

Silence took over again, and she gave him a confused look.

"What're you thinking about?" he said sincerely.

"Nothing," her eyebrows shot up to feign innocence, but he wasn't fooled.

"Liar," he smirked.

She laughed and looked away. "Honestly?"

"No, try lying again," he told her.

She broke into another laugh, and turned to lock his eyes once more. She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but seemed unable to find the right words.

Finally she strung together: "I wish you'd tell me what you were gonna say before Hasook showed up."

He seemed taken aback, and she knew this because he physically took a step back. Staying connected at the hands, however, she moved with him.

"Seriously, what is it?" she leaned in closer so she could whisper.

He felt her hot breath on his ear, but he didn't have anything to tell her.

"I don't remember."

"Look who's lying now," Jinora teased.

Kai's eyes narrowed, but he said, "Maybe now isn't the place."

"Do you promise to tell me later?" her eyes strongly looking into his.

He hesitated, but continued to look her in the eyes.

Finally, he said, "Yes." And that somehow seemed enough for her.

"How long have you been dancing?" he asked as they continued moving to the beat of the music.

" _He can't lose with me in tow; I refuse to let him go…"_

"Since I could walk," she laughed.

"Really?" he looked surprised.

"No!" she laughed. "You're so gullible."

He laughed with her, and admitted, "Not the first time I've been told that."

"So seriously; when'd you begin dancing?"

"God, I must've been six. Maybe five."

"And you've stuck with it?" he said with mild shock. "That's dedication."

"I love it," she shrugged. "I was told I was a natural when I was younger, so I don't know… I felt like I had to stay with it. Not let the talent go to waste, y'know? But now…"

"Now?"

"I wouldn't want to do anything else with my life."

"Like me and my drawing," he said with a closed-mouth smile.

"Yeah," she said.

The beating of the drum continued but slowly began to fade out. The song was coming to an end.

"Spin," Kai instructed, and he extended his arm out and high. Jinora laughed as she contorted her body around and spun on the toes of her shoes.

Just as the song closed, her turn was finishing, but he overshot her speed, and accidentally pulled his arm back too soon. Her spin finished into his chest.

The force knocked him back a bit, and he stumbled to maintain his footing.

In the mishap she stepped a little on his toes, and they nearly headbutted, but Kai withdrew his head before contact.

"Whoops," he offered. He stared into her wild eyes. Her entire body was pressed against his so that he could not only hear but _feel_ her quick breathing against his chest. Her face was so close to his own that he didn't want to exhale for fear of blowing his hot breath in her face.

She seemed frozen, pressed up against him. He didn't move a muscle, and all she did was blink. Seeming to finally come to her senses, she laughed and took a step back, then smoothed her skirt.

"Maybe not such a natural," she jeered without meeting his eyes.

"Guess I shouldn't have overdone it," he said as he too smooth his shirt.

When they finally met each other in the eyes, both were blushing so hard they looked sunburnt. Jinora brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, her fingers grazing her hot cheek, and said, "Well, I'm thirsty. You wanna get a drink?"

"You bet," Kai answered. The two made their way off the dance floor and walked over to the open bar.

Jinora ordered herself a glass of champagne and Kai just opted for a cold beer. He wasn't a fan of the bubbly wine.

"You wanna go stand over there?" Jinora asked, pointing to the balcony. The balcony was made of a beautiful iron railing with swirly metalwork, entwined with vines from the nearby bushes. Jinora held her champagne flute in her right hand and placed her left on top the railing, steadying herself against the icy breeze.

"Guess the heaters don't reach here," Kai said, also shivering. He stood by her on the railing.

"Definitely not," Jinora agreed. She took a step closer to him to reach his warmth.

"Alcohol'll keep us warm," Kai offered as he took a sip of his icy beer.

"Fair enough," Jinora said and she too put her lips to the glass.

The two stared down on the city beneath them. The lights glittered all the way to the skyline. It was magnificent.

The silence was comfortable for both of them as they looked around Republic City. But then Jinora broke it.

"So what were you going to say?"

"Huh?"

"When we were dancing. And you said you'd tell me later," Jinora helped jog his memory.

"Oh, I, er, don't remember," he shrugged.

"Not falling for that again, Kai," she said fiercely.

He met her eyes, but then looked away. After a while, he sighed, "Fine."

Jinora waited for him to make his jumbled thoughts more eloquent. The silence seemed to drag on, but she was patient for Kai's sake.

"There's just something I can't stop thinking about," he offered a bit weakly.

"What is it?"

It was a while before Kai began speaking again. Jinora was patient, however, so she allowed him a chance to gather his thoughts.

"When we were at the coffee shop. There, er… I _was_ gonna ask you something, but then Hasook showed up, so, er…"

"Say it, Kai," Jinora urged gently.

He took a deep breath:

"Have you ever loved someone?"

"What?"

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything…" Kai said. The blood rushed to his cheeks like a waterfall. He put his hands on the icy railing and looked out on the city. The skyline was comforting.

"No, no. You should've. I'm sorry. I was just sort of taken aback. Why do you ask?"

"Answer first," he told her.

"What kind of love? Platonic? Romantic? Familial?"

"Well, any kind of love really," Kai answered with a small shrug.

Jinora hesitated. "Okay, well then… I guess of course I have. I love my family. Sure, they're loud and embarrassing and inappropriate at times, but… they're family."

Jinora had finished, but Kai hadn't said anything. She assumed he wasn't satisfied by her answer, so she offered, after taking a large gulp of champagne:

"Romantically…" she continued. "I've thought I was but… looking back on it, I couldn't have been."

"With Hasook?" Kai finally spoke.

"No, there was someone before Hasook, but I think I was too young to really know what love was, y'know?

"Platonically… I never really had friends through school. I met Korra in the second semester of my junior year, and we really clicked. She opened up her entire group of friends to me, and I suddenly went from having books for friends to having real people to do things with. So I do love them, but it's all still kinda new."

"How did you meet Korra?" he asked.

"She was taking one of my dad's classes. To say the least, she wasn't super good at it. But it was a graduation requirement for her major, so she needed to get a passing grade.

"She was at my house a _lot_ during that term. I guess you get so used to seeing someone so often for four months that you don't wanna say good bye. So we didn't. We met a couple times a week to hang out, and became really close. I was there for all of it."

"All the love-triangle stuff?" Kai let a laugh escape.

" _All_ of it," Jinora smiled. "Don't ever tell her I said this, but she really was so in love with Mako. He didn't want to jeopardize their friendship, but she really liked him. And then there was Asami," Jinora took a break to sigh. "A lot of late nights listening to her talk," she admitted.

Silence passed again. Jinora took another sip of her sparkling wine, and looked out upon the city.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, mostly to herself.

"Yeah, it is," Kai agreed. They both just stared out at the lights of the sleeping city—the buildings meeting the clouds on the horizon.

"So why do you ask?" she finally asked the question she couldn't get off her head.

Kai took a few sips of his beer before responding.

"Well," he said finally. "I'm just not sure I ever have."

"You've never loved _anyone_?" Jinora asked, but suddenly realized how rude she must've sounded. She looked him in the face, and he met her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I guess I'm just surprised."

"I know how you meant it," Kai said a bit glumly. He stared out at the city for a long time. Jinora felt so bad for her blurt that she wasn't sure what to say. So the silence continued. Neither was willing to break it.

Jinora knew there was one thing she could say that would help the situation, but to do it, she'd need another sip of her wine.

"I'd like to share something with you," she said as she drained her glass.

Kai didn't look at her, but instead took a long sip of beer and looked out on the sky. Jinora took his silence as an opportunity to continue speaking.

"After I graduated high school, I realized I was done putting up with Hasook. We didn't connect on any levels, and we didn't have any similar interests. I felt that he was holding me back, and I needed to… I don't know… fly? I had things I wanted to do with my life, and every scenario I'd worked out in my head… none of them included him.

"So, I just needed to pick a date to break up with him. I'd never had to called it off with someone before so… I guess it's my own damn fault…" her voice trailed off, and she opted to gaze out on the city. But then she felt Kai's stare on her, and she had to push through it. If she could just get it out… that would be the hardest part.

She turned to meet his eyes.

"I went over to his place… he still lived with his parents then. We were just out of high school. I guess they weren't home though…"

"Jinora, you don't have to say it," Kai offered gently.

"Actually I do," Jinora's watery met his own. She refused to let a tear fall, though.

"I told him I wanted to call it off, and he…" she ran a hand through her short hair. A tear escaped her big brown eyes, but she brushed it off with her hands.

"He… forced himself on me."

Kai was silent. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she shuddered under his touch.

"Nothing happened," she admitted. "I was able to push him off. I know a bit of self-defense. My dad taught me."

"Smart guy," Kai finally said.

Jinora laughed despite the tense situation. Her laugh pushed the tears down her cheeks, but she didn't bother wiping them away this time. She laughed because Kai was completely right: her dad was incredibly smart for teaching her. If he hadn't…

"That was the last time I saw Hasook," Jinora shrugged.

"Except for today," Kai stated.

Jinora nodded sadly. "Yeah. Except today."

She let out a long exhale and turned back onto the city. "You're the first person I've ever told," she said without meeting his eyes.

Kai wasn't sure what to say. He'd never been in a situation like this before. Should he hug her? Should he pat her head? What was he supposed to do? He decided to follow his gut.

"I never knew my parents," Kai said suddenly.

Jinora turned to look at him, but he wasn't meeting her eyes.

"They, uh… they died or something. I don't know. I was never able to get the details. I think it was a car crash. Maybe a fire. Point is, I, er… I grew up in the system."

"Oh, Kai—" Jinora began, but he cut her off.

"So to answer your question: no… no, I don't think I've ever loved anybody before."

Jinora stared at him while he looked down. And then it happened. With absolutely no warning.

Her arms were around his body, and her face pressed against his chest. He was too stunned by the contact, but once his mind had registered what was happening, he wrapped his arms around her small frame. He rested his chin on her head, and tightly embraced her back.

…

"Enjoying yourself?"

He and Jinora had returned to the table they'd had dinner at, but Jinora needed to use the restroom. In her absence, Kai was just minding his own business. But at the notion of being addressed, Kai's ears perked up. He turned to find the speaker.

It was Mako. He was standing, leaning on a nearby wall.

"Er—" he began, but Mako clearly wasn't awaiting his response.

"Listen, kid," he started. "I know your type I know what and who you do. And it's not Jinora."

"What?" Kai stared blankly.

"November 10th 2015. That date mean anything to you?"

"What're you—" he tried to ask.

"Don't remember? Let me help you out. It's the date you stole from Flameo Outfitters, 1906 General Iroh. Remember me? I almost caught you. You were a quick runner, though," Mako said with narrowed eyes.

It suddenly dawned on Kai that Mako had connected the pieces of Kai. He knew he'd been caught stealing from Flameo that day, but he never would have thought it was the man standing in from of him. So that's why he was looking at him so peculiarly earlier. That's why he had been so cold to him the whole evening. But that meant…

 _Calm down. He has no proof._

"I think you have the wrong—" Kai tried to argue, but Mako was damn good at his job.

"I _don't_ have the wrong guy. I'd remember your face anywhere. You would've been arrested for theft."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kai said defensively.

"You willing to attest to that?" Mako bent down to get very close to his face. Kai got the feeling that he was trying to intimidate him, but Kai had dealt with far larger jerks with badges.

"Set a date," he said with a smirk. "I'm innocent."

"So you've never been arrested?"

"Never," Kai said. It was true. He had to this day never been caught.

"Look, I'm not gonna play this game with you. A common thief isn't worth my time investigating. And we both know I don't have the evidence to bring you in. But stay. away. from Jinora. I mean it."

With each syllable, Mako poked a finger on his chest.

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Kai lied.

"Don't you?" Mako said.

They both stared at each other for a while. Like two rams, sizing each other up for a fight. Finally, Mako spoke.

"Look kid, I get it. I grew up on the streets, and it was hard. I've broken the law my fair share of times. But you _don't_ get excused from the law."

"I don't need to be excused," Kai said simply.

Without another word, Mako turned on his heels and began to walk away. Once he was out of ear and eyeshot, Kai let out a sigh of relief.

It was gonna be okay. Everything would be fine. Mako couldn't prove a thing. He wasn't going to jail. He was not going be arrested. Mako's "hunch" meant nothing in a court of law. He'd be fine.

Kai looked around. All of Jinora's friends were standing in the far corner, talking. Except for Jinora, who must still be in the bathroom. With a quick sweep of the patio, Kai made his decision.

He was out the door without a look back.

* * *

 **A/N: Dramaaaaaa!**

 **Let me know what you thought! All reviews are appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know this is a few days late. I got caught up in the chapter, and decided to split it in half. Next part will be out soon!**

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Jinora looked down at her phone.

 _hey whered you go?_  
 _ok, im gonna head back to my house  
just checking in… i still need my brother's suit back…  
hello?_  
 _kai?  
i really need my brother's suit. mom keeps asking about it…_

She read the texts over and over again; none of it made sense. They'd been doing fine, having fun. The wedding had gone well up until she'd left to go to the bathroom. Then he'd just disappeared. Nobody seemed to even realize that he'd left.

She hoped he was okay. There had to be a better explanation for his disappearance.

 _You already know why he left._

There it was. That constant voice in the back of her head. It hadn't stopped reminding her of one crucial fact since Kai had gone M.I.A.:

He only left after she'd opened up about Hasook.

What did he think of her now? Was she no longer "pure" in his eyes? Was she not worth his time because of the pain she'd been forced to endure? Did he not know he was getting roped into something so emotional until last night?

He had shared his own story; if he wasn't used to having someone to open up to, perhaps she'd shocked him with her story.

She wouldn't let herself think like that. She couldn't. If she allowed herself to have insecurities then they may never go away. And then what would become of her? She'd lose herself completely…

So she was sitting in that coffee shop that she'd seen him at one time.

One time. It was nearly a week ago now.

But she was certainly not hoping that he'd drop by. No. That is not what she was thinking. It was near her house, and she needed to finish her paper.

Economics. What a ridiculous concept. As if people could accurately predict the pushes and pulls of our economy. It was an unfathomable topic, and all economists ever did was mess things up more. But no matter how much she despised the subject—and Professor Raiko for that matter—she needed to finish her academic paper, declaring her stance on the bubble potential of health care.

She was just proofreading her ten page paper when her phone buzzed. Eager, she gripped her phone so quickly it nearly slid out of her hand. She unlocked the screen to see who'd texted her.

She felt her face drop. Her shock faded. Her smile relaxed. She opened up the text from her mother.

 _Stop by supermarket for onion and banana?_

She pressed her thumbs to the screen. _Sure thing,_ she responded.

She finished proofreading her paper, and added the final formatting touches. Then, she packed up her things and headed out. No sense in wasting time at a crowded coffee shop. The sooner she made it to the store, the sooner she could be laying in bed, drowning her sorrow out with Netflix.

…

She dropped two white onions in a plastic bag, and dropped them on the scale. The reading told Jinora she'd picked $3 worth of onions. After weighing the bananas, the total price of the grocery run was nearly $7. She turned towards the exit, but was only able to take two steps before her voice clung to her throat like ice.

He was standing there, smelling moon peaches to check their ripeness. She was unable to make any noise, much less speak. After a week of no contact, Kai stood just ten feet from her. That meant she needed to make a decision. Turn and walk the other way, pretending she hadn't noticed him. Pretending that her heart didn't stop beating at the sight of him.

Or she could approach him. Demand to know what his deal was. Demand to know why he'd been completely ignoring her for days.

Even Jinora could admit that it was more in her nature to turn around and walk away. She always figured you just had to let people go. Even if it meant more pain.

So she turned away. She'd just have to go down a different aisle to reach the exit. She'd let him shop for his moon peaches in peace, and she'd buy her bananas and onions in harmony. It would be like they were just two strangers in the produce section.

As she walked through the adjacent aisle to get to the register line, she pondered on her decision to avoid Kai. It was for the best, wasn't it? He'd made it very clear that he did not want to speak with her. Why push it?

Although she did need that suit back… her mother would kill her if she never got Meelo's suit back to him. It would be expensive to replace.

But the prospect of speaking with him seemed so awkward and uncomfortable that it might just be worth spending the money…

She jumped into the only open line at the register; the other three were closed, but it wasn't a crowded time, so she didn't mind waiting behind two people to get to the checkout.

As her brain began to take in her surroundings, that same, familiar feeling crawled down her neck. It was a hot gaze that made her hair stand up. She whipped around, and nearly choked on her own breath.

"Kai?"

It slipped off her tongue before she could stop. She was just so surprised at how close they were.

He tried to look away, but she'd already locked his eyes. It was too late to pretend one hadn't seen the other. The tension was palpable in that one checkout line.

"Jinora," he stated.

The blush crawled to her cheeks, but there was no way she was going to look away. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. He must've known what leaving would do to her. But he did it anyways. Asshole.

The silence lingered. Jinora could think of nothing to say, and Kai was too busy getting lost in her stare. A thousand insecurities invaded her mind as she tried to think of something to say. Was he mad that they'd bumped into each other? He couldn't be excited; he hadn't returned her texts from the wedding last Saturday.

She'd spent all day Sunday wondering if he was okay, and Monday was when anxieties began to flood her mind. Tuesday she tried to give him his space, but Wednesday she realized she needed to speak with him. And then Friday rolled around, and she knew she needed to be more realistic. He just wasn't interested in keeping their friendship going. A shame since she'd thought they'd really connected.

The silence still stayed, and it was only broken by the checkout clerk:

"I can ring you up, miss."

Jinora finally had to look away. She let her two items roll down the mat, and stepped forward.

"How're you today?" Jinora asked.

"Fine, fine," the woman with flaming red hair said with a gentle smile. "What on earth do you plan to do with onions and bananas?" the older woman inquired interestingly.

"My mom makes smoothies."

"Smoothies? With, er… onion?"

Jinora laughed, "Don't bag it 'til you try it."

"I'll take your word," the woman said. She read Jinora her total, and Jinora handed her exact change.

"Have a nice day," Jinora said to the woman.

"You, too, dear."

Jinora hesitated, then turned towards Kai.

"Er, bye Kai."

She turned on her heel, and began to walk towards the exit.

"Jinora!" Kai suddenly called.

Jinora turned to face her old friend. Kai gave the woman behind the counter a ten, which was way too much, and said to the side, "Keep it."

He grabbed his plastic bag of moon peaches, and caught up with Jinora.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You're sorry?" she spat. An entire week of insecure thoughts and wicked imaginations began to pour back into her conscious. She couldn't stop herself. Letting herself finally feel all that emotion was too much:

"You're sorry?! Kai, I've been trying to reach you all week! What happened?! What made you… why did you… you just left…" she finished quietly. She wouldn't drop his stare.

"I know. I, er…" he fumbled to say the right thing.

"Why? Why did you leave?" she begged.

He looked down at his feet, and scratched the back of his neck. Jinora ran a hand through her hair, and looked down, too. She folded her arms across her chest, turning in on herself.

"I..." he appeared unable to say it.

"Goodbye, Kai," she said sadly. Jinora was just turning around when an armed grabbed around her wrist.

"Wait, Jinora!" She turned around. "Don't you need Meelo's suit back?"

…

"It's that one. Second door on the right," Kai told her once they'd climbed up five flights of stairs. His apartment was located two doors off the staircase. Jinora approached the door, and waiting for Kai to open it. He wiggled his key a few times—clearly struggling with the sticky lock—but finally got the door open.

He pushed it forward, and motioned for Jinora to enter first. It didn't take long for her to take in her surroundings:

The room she was standing in was comfortably small. The walls were painted a crème, save for the far left wall, which was a pale blue. Hanging on the blue wall, a bizarre work of art had been placed right above the mattress, which was just set on the floor. The bedding was a dark grey with a beige blanket strewn across the top haphazardly. There were at least five pillows. The floors were hardwood, but he had a rug under his bed. The right side of the room was blank except for three doors. Jinora wondered where they all led to.

She took a deep breath. Light tones of tangy lemon and deep notes of spicy cinnamon hit her nose; it was earthy and natural. She loved it.

"I know it's not much, but it's… comfortable, y'know?" he spoke.

She nodded. "It seems cozy," she agreed.

"Er, I hung your brother's suit in that closet," he said, pointing to the nearest door on the right wall. She walked over, and opened the door. Her brother's suit was in perfect condition, hanging amidst flannel shirts and khaki pants in his closet.

She removed it from the closet, and walked back over to Kai.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it:

"Do you like moon peach pie?"

"Come again?"

He motioned to his sack of moon peaches. "You have to try my moon peach pie," he gave her a lopsided grin.

"Is that a dare?" she raised an eyebrow.

She didn't think it were possible, but his smile actually widened: "Only if you're willing to accept."

Jinora snorted, despite the fact that she was trying to remain angry at Kai. He had totally cut her off for an entire week, and he still hadn't offered a reason why. But his goofy grin was too much to bear. The way the left side of his mouth twitched a little more than the right.

She supposed she could let him off the hook this one time…

* * *

 **A/N: If you managed to read this far, please take the time to review! I know I speak for nearly every writer on FF that reviews _literally_ make my day. I really look forward to reading them! Even if it's a single word.**

 **Some drama in the next installment...**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you, reviewers! I was so happy to see people enjoying this fic :3**

* * *

Together, the two set to baking. Kai swore he didn't use a recipe ("It's all up here, baby" accompanied by a tap of the skull), and Jinora didn't see reason not to believe him.

The kitchen was behind the farthest right-wall door. Once inside, Kai ran around for a minute, gathering all the ingredients and utensils. Jinora watched. It was by no means a big kitchen; it was just a collection of cabinets and a small refrigerator. But it sure fit a lot of stuff.

"So you've made moon peach pie before?" Jinora started as he set the flour down on the counter.

"Never moon peach," Kai admitted, putting a big bowl on the table.

"But you said—" she began. "So you're… what? Improvising?"

Kai let out a chuckle, "Yes. You could definitely call it that."

"What sort of flavor did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Okay, so here's been my thinking: peaches are part of the rose family, right? Apples, are also part of the rose family. So I can use similar spices in a peach pie as I would in an apple pie. So I'm thinking nutmeg," he set each ingredient down on the counter as he said it, "cinnamon, and lemon juice."

Jinora only nodded. It made perfect sense to her, but then again she was no baker.

Kai looked at the counter piled with ingredients: "Okay, ready to get started?"

"Ready!" Jionora smiled.

Kai gave Jinora the task of peeling the moon peaches. He handed her a vegetable peeler, and she stood over a trashcan, peeling away the flesh of the fuzzy peaches.

While she worked, Kai walked over to the radio.

"Let's get some music going," he told her. He twisted the knob on the black radio, and at first static was the only thing they could hear.

But then the guitar chords erupted from the small speakers.

"… _but everybody wants to put me down. They say I'm going crazy…"_

Queen's hit put a smile on both Jinora and Kai's faces. Kai sauntered over to the mixing bowl, dancing just a little bit to the beat of the song. As he began to blend the flour and sugar and other dry ingredients, Jinora suddenly began singing along:

"Got no feel, I got no rhythm. I just keep losing my beat." She set down the peaches, and turned to him, a smile wider than the earth across her face.

And then Kai jumped in. He too set down his utensils and jumped to grab her hands:

"I'm OK, I'm alright. I ain't gonna face no defeat, yeah!"

And then together:

"I just gotta get out of this prison cell. One day, I'm gonna be free, Lord!"

They danced to the song, and took turns singing lines:

"Somebody."

"Somebody."

"Somebody."

"Somebody."

And then the two belted out together, though very off-key: "Somebody to love!"

The song began dying down, but Jinora and Kai still swayed to the upbeat song.

Both of them too giddy to speak, Jinora realized they hadn't been baking for a while.

"I should get back to the moon peaches," she smiled.

"Yeah, I gotta work on the dough," he agreed. Though neither made to pull apart. And then the next song started:

" _You can dance! You can jive! Having the time of your life…"_

Jinora got even happier. "Oh my god," she exclaimed.

"You like this song?" Kai asked with a soft smile.

"Like it? Kai, I love it."

She pulled away from Kai, and began to dance to the song as her off-key voice belted out all the words.

"You are the Dancing Queen! Young and sweet, only seventeen! Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine!"

Her feet danced to the 70s beat, and her arms swung, snapping to the drum beats in the song. Kai watched her, mesmerized by her movements. He hardly even registered that he was pulling him in.

"Don't just watch!" she instructed. "Dance along!"

So Kai joined in. The two discoed to the beat of Abba's greatest hit.

"… _see that girl! Watch that scene, digging the dancing queen!"_

And then the song was over, and both Jinora and Kai were out of breath.

Jinora rested her head against Kai's shoulder as she simultaneously tried to catch her breath and laugh at their goofiness.

The next song was another classic, but they needed to get back to the pie.

So Jinora and Kai danced alone but together as they finished mixing all the ingredients together. He let her pour the filling into his pie shell, and together they laid the lattice on top.

Once the pie had been put into the oven for baking, Kai turned to JInora.

"Alright, we have like forty-five minutes until the pie's done."

Jinora nodded her understanding, and looked around his kitchen. She wasn't sure what they could do to occupy their time. She noticed he didn't have a TV. What she really wanted to do was talk to him: about the wedding, about his disappearance, and most importantly about his feelings for her after he found out about Hasook…

She didn't want to start that conversation though. It was too difficult. It was hard enough just saying it out loud for the first time.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Kai began to speak.

"You want a cup of coffee or something while we wait?"

Jinora shook her head no. Caffeine tended to affect her gravely, and she didn't want to be stuck up all night. That's why she mainly drank yerba mate.

Kai proceeded to make himself a mug. He couldn't get enough of the drink; it didn't matter what time it was. Caffeine didn't really have a big effect on him anymore.

After fixing his cup of coffee—he drank it with just a splash of almond milk—he looked around the room. Without a kitchen table, there wasn't a customary spot for him to invite her to sit.

Usually, he'd spend a stretch of time just drawing. Sketching had a way of making time stop and suddenly you look up, and the entire day has gone by. But if he set to drawing, he wouldn't be being a very good host.

Unless…

"I'd like to draw you," he stated bluntly.

To say Jinora was taken aback would be an understatement. Her face only revealed a fraction of the turmoil she was currently experiencing. So enveloped in his odd statement was she that she hadn't even thought of a response. It wasn't until she noticed the dragging silence that she realized she hadn't said anything yet.

"Erm… what do you mean?" she tried her best not to sound turned off by the notion.

"I love drawing women," he admitted. "The plains of the face, the curves of the body. I think you're beautiful, and I would really like to draw you." His tone was matter-of-fact. His words were overwhelming. She couldn't stop the red flooding her face.

 _Damn_ _him_ , she cursed. The heat rose to her cheeks in less than the time of a full breath. If he hadn't been so rude to her, she'd probably be outwardly giddy. She wouldn't dare let it show, but it took all her efforts not to let her smile peep out.

"What do you say?" he gave her a wacky grin.

Jinora tried _really_ hard to seem indifferent. "Maybe someday."

Kai's grin widened, despite that he'd just been turned down.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," he laughed.

"Go ahead," she smiled back.

"I'm not sure how else to spend these 45 minutes," he admitted. "I wish I had a TV or something. I really don't know what to do."

She gave him a reassuring smile, and said, "It's okay. Now we're just forced to talk to each other."

Her smile expanded into a smirk, and his face brightened. They stood in the kitchen, standing facing one another as they spoke.

"What's been going on?" Kai asked. "Feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

Jinora fell silent. Did he realize what he'd just said? Did he not understand _she'd_ been trying to contact him for a week. That _he'd_ been the unresponsive one.

Her silence apparently said it all, and Kai immediately blushed. He scratched the back of his neck with his coffee-free hand, and stuttered, "I, er, I meant… er… when I said forever, er—"

Jinora realized through his mumbling that she didn't want any more excuses. She interrupted, "Enough, Kai."

He immediately clamped up.

"Look, if you don't like me anymore than _fine_ , okay? We don't have to be friends, but just stop making things up! If I'm suddenly… dirty to you then maybe we should just stop this."

"Dirty? Wh-what?"

She didn't respond with words, but with the shake of the head. In the silence Jinora realized she needed to decide if she was going to demand answers.

Of course she wanted to know why he left, so what was stopping her? Perhaps the awkwardness of the conversation. But then, if Jinora and Kai were as good of friends as she'd thought they'd been...

Jinora could shatter the elephant in the room. …or she could let him think of something else to talk about. But she certainly wasn't going to stand here while he fumbled to say something that would correct his word vomit.

Jinora had been so wrapped up in her own head that she hadn't realized just how long the silence had stretched. It was that deafening kind of silence where you swore you could hear the ringing of your own ears—a silence that made you hear sounds.

Besides just the silence, she realized one more thing: she needed to know why Kai had vanished. And she refused to take any more of his bullshit responses. She was going to get to the bottom of this entire mystery. All the pain she'd felt over the week formed into a hot, sticky paste of anger—livid pain boiling under her flesh, inside her veins.

But just as Jinora was thinking of something to say to him, he mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Jinora was caught off guard. All that anger was wiped from her nearly as quickly as it had risen. Before she could respond, he was already running.

"And I know that I said it before," his hands flew to face and he paced the length of the cabinets. He wasn't looking at her but instead at the floor beneath him. "But I am! I am so sorry, Jinora. I shouldn't have left I just… I don't know! I panicked, I guess. I was thinking in the moment; I was just saving my own ass! It was too much to think about, and I couldn't… I can't afford… if Mako wasn't with—"

Jinora was going to let him finish, but at mention of her friend's name, she interrupted:

"Mako? What does he have to do with this?"

Kai's eyes widened as he realized what he'd said. His heart nearly jumped up out of his throat. _Shit._

An overly wide grin plastered onto his face. "Mako? Psh, I didn't say Mako," he half-laughed. "I said, er…" but he seemed unable to come up with something.

Jinora's stare pierced right through him. "No more lies, Kai." Her tone was firm, and her stance stiff.

His hand flew to the back of his neck, and he mumbled another apology. Expect now, Jinora couldn't hear any of it.

"Maybe you need to see from eyes," she said tensely. She took a breath before going on. This was going to be hard, but she needed to do it.

"I told you… not only _did_ I tell you, but you are the only. person. that. knows about me and Hasook. The _only_ , goddamn person, Kai. Do you know how many of our old friends have asked me what I was thinking? Do you?" She did impersonations of all her friends:

"'He was so great for you, Jinora.' 'What were you thinking, Jinora?' 'You two were a match made in heaven, Jinora.' 'Why'd you let _him_ go, Jinora?'

"Do you have any idea how much I've wanted to tell somebody? I've been too afraid for years, Kai. Okay? That was back when I was 18! So many friendships… destroyed…" her last word was nothing but a whisper, and she trailed off into silence. It felt really good to get off her chest.

Kai started to respond, but it was still Jinora's turn:

"But I told you! I did it, and the world didn't stop spinning! The sky didn't split open! Nothing. Happened. It was so relieving because for four years I'd been _terrified_ of how people would react. And when you took it so well, I thought 'this is okay. I can start telling people, now. I can be _strong_.'

"Guess you didn't take it as well as I thought you did," she finished.

She looked down and folded her arms in on herself.

"God, I'm an idiot," she heard him breath.

She heard his footsteps approach her. And before she could register what was happening, she was warm. Really, really warm. His strong arms were embracing her entire frame, and she felt happy and safe and _warm._ As if the sun had touched to her in a comforting collision. The radiating heat making her feel whole and good. She wrapped her arms around him; the feeling was so nice that it had to be shared.

She felt his breath before she heard him speak:

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. So sorry, Jinora."

He pulled back his body, but held her by her shoulders, crouching so that his face was level with hers.

"Let me explain," he said softly. Jinora nodded, all ears for him.

"After you went to the bathroom," he began. "Mako came up to me."

"He did what?"

"I guess I should probably back up," Kai admitted, deflecting his gaze downward.

"I've told you that I didn't grow up in a… conventional home. I was constantly switching around homes. When one was really bad, I'd make a run for it; believe me when I say it was easier to sleep on at a bus stop.

"One time—god, I must've been 7 or 8—I hadn't been back to the house in a little over a week. I'd been surviving on a bag of cans I'd brought from the house. But I was running low. And I knew going back wasn't an option.

"I was just a kid, y'know. I needed food… and then it escalated… And I was really good at it. I mean _really_."

Jinora looked blanked, and he realized she hadn't made the jump. Or perhaps, more likely, she didn't want to.

"I started stealing. Just food at first. But… when I found out how good I was… I thought: 'Why not just steal everything?' It wasn't like I could get employed anywhere; I didn't even know my social security number! Stealing was so easy, so I… it became a really bad habit, I guess."

"And Mako's a police officer," Jinora added, finally connecting the dots.

"I've never been caught," he said a little too proudly. "There was just this one time that someone noticed me slip something. They chased me for a while, too, but I've always been pretty fast.

"Apparently, the officer who ran me down was Mako. I didn't remember him, but you better believe he remembered me. He told me to stay away from you. That he'd bring me into court or something if I didn't."

"He doesn't have that kind of evidence," she offered.

"Well, hindsight's 20/20. But when I was sitting there, hot under his gaze… I don't know, my mind zeroed in on the worst possibilities. I just had an image of my rotting corpse sitting in jail for 20 years. I got scared, so I… I split.

"I don't know if this makes it worse or better, but I really wasn't thinking about you. It was a totally selfish decision. I knew I just couldn't go to jail, so I had to get away from anything with the means to put me there."

Jinora leaned closer to him.

"Leaving was a dick-move," she admitted. "But I understand."

"And my stealing?"

"It's gotta stop," she told him, though not angrily. Just matter-of-factly. She said it so quietly that he leaned his head closer to hers. "You know it isn't right."

"I never steal from people that don't deserve it. Big corporations like Whole Foods, Hobby Lobby, Wal Mart. Those types of places," he argued defensively.

She wasn't going to tell him that stealing from the "right people" was still bad. Instead, she said so very quietly, "I'll help you."

Their noses were just about touching now, their eyes fluttering so close to one another.

It was in this moment that Jinora realized she'd really like to kiss him. She pushed her head a little bit closer, and was only a tiny bit surprised when his head also neared.

Their lips just an inch apart, the timer on the oven _ding!_ ed, and the two flew away.

* * *

 **A/N: So all secrets have been revealed between the two... except of course the way they feel about one another...**

 **Please remember to review! Questions, comments, predictions: I would love to read them!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. It is especially long though :)**

* * *

Jinora turned the steel handle above the porcelain bowl. Immediately, icy water began to pour from the faucet, and she tested the liquid with her hands. She turned the knob above the tub a little more, and again tested it with her fingertips. Hot, steamy water came splashing out of the steel. She plugged the tub, and stripped down to bareness. She added a generous heap of bath salts to the water, and suds had already begun forming at the base of the stream. She added a few drops of lavender and rose essential oil. Then, she lit two candles and put them on the back of the toilet.

She stepped one foot into the water, then the other, and then made the plunge.

The hot water saturated her entire body, and drenched her cells. She breathed in, allowing the therapeutic aromas to swallow her nasal cavity. She let her mind debrief the day.

She'd woken up furious; mad at herself, mad at Kai. But now, laying in this dark, steamy pool, she was content… sorta…

There was still one thing that evaded her subconscious. She had thought about kissing _Kai._ No, that wasn't it. She WANTED to kiss him! She really wanted to. In the moment, it was what seemed right; what seemed like the logical next step.

But then the timer for the pies went off, and she was suddenly pulled back to reality. She couldn't kiss Kai! He… he was her _friend._ That was it, wasn't it? She was obviously just caught up in the moment. It was an emotional rush, this day! First she was furious, then she was sad, then she felt betrayed, loved, and wanted all in the span of fifteen hours! She was just… confused. She just didn't know how to handle that emotion-overload.

On any normal day, she wouldn't even have _thought_ about kissing Kai. Like, gross!

 _That's mean,_ she thought to herself. _He isn't_ gross. _He's actually quite—_ quite what?! She stopped that train of thought.

I mean, she'd never call him ugly… far from it, actually. He had nice eyes, _really_ nice eyes. She recalled the first day she'd met him: that afternoon on the bus when she couldn't concentrate on her book because of his bright eyes, like a wise sage or perhaps an old jade. Entrancing.

And the pale green contrasted beautifully with his dark skin. His caramel-complexion darkened to toffee in the right lighting; then, in the sunlight for instance, it was more of a soft honey. It was an unusual complexion, as if the shades swirled just under the surface.

The color of skin, of course, perfectly complimented his scent. It was unique: a special blend of spicy citrus. Almost like if a lemon tree somehow got tied up with a cinnamon tree in an irreversible entwinement. She found it alluring and spellbinding.

And then his smile. Oh my, his smile. When he just barely turned the corner of his lips or if he stretched them wide across his face in a toothy grin; both were so captivating that Jinora found she could go to infinite lengths if it meant he'd crack a smile.

His height wasn't bad either. Nearly half a foot above her own, she'd assume. So almost 6 feet. It was a comfortable height where she didn't need to crane her neck upwards to look him in the eyes, nor did she feel self-conscious towering over him.

And he did have a way about him. His sauntering walk and arrogant smirk were clearly a play, but she had to admit they were for his advantage. He held himself like he was worth a million dollars: his posture back, his hair always styled, and his clothes properly fitting. He clearly understood how to ace outward appearance.

But Jinora had always had a hard time just being physically attracted to someone. She could recognize a beautiful person no matter the gender, but ignorance and rudeness had a way to turn her off of someone.

And Kai was anything but rude. She could admit he hadn't handled the wedding night's situation _perfectly_ , but she considered herself an understanding person. And she really did completely understand why Kai had left, if perhaps not the _way_ he'd left. He just got spooked! Like a dog in a thunderstorm.

And by him handling the situation earlier today, Jinora knew he felt terrible about ditching.

He was thoughtful, too. She still remembered the first day she met him when he gave up his seat on the bus to that old man. She hadn't even considered other people needing a seat; she was too wrapped up in her own book.

And he was funny. He always had a way of making her laugh. Like when he goofed around with Meelo before taking his suit. He fit right in with her family dynamic.

Especially by the effect he had on her. She considered herself reserved, by nature. She seldom put herself out there, and she definitely preferred to stay out of the spotlight. But something about him… she couldn't shut up! She always found herself rambling and narrating long-winded stories just because he was there to listen. And he really wanted to listen, too. Maybe he just had an inviting quality about him. She wasn't sure.

But he was so well-read. She remembered when they had a discussion about Garcia Marquez weeks ago. Despite his lack of formal education, he had incredibly intelligent things to say.

So maybe she did like him. Maybe wanting to kiss him wasn't just something in the moment… maybe she still wanted to.

She dipped her head under the water. The water flooded into her ears, and the silence buzzed around her. She could just faintly make out the drumming of the water from the faucet.

As of now, she knew two things for certain: one, Kai was attractive. That wasn't so much an opinion as it was an objective fact. Pythagoras was sure to agree that Kai's physique beautifully replicated the golden ratio. And two, she almost yet not quite exactly though maybe if the timing had been right wanted kissed him.

Everything else was just sound to the wind.

…

He laid awake in her bed. His eyes open, staring at the blank ceiling.

What was he doing? Why did he come here tonight?

He heard her move away from him. She ruffled the covers and sat up. In the dim lighting, he was able to make out her nude figure: flawless. Perky breasts, tight stomach, smooth shoulders.

Her long red curls obstructed her face, though, so it was impossible to read. She craned her neck to look at him.

"I'm getting in the shower," she announced. Kai nodded. They both knew what she really meant was _Don't be here when I get out._

She kicked her legs off the side of the mattress and stood up, all in one fluid motion.

After she shut the bathroom door, Kai didn't move. Not immediately, at least. He still felt so confused.

It wasn't four hours ago that Kai was standing in his kitchen with Jinora. Not four whole hours that Kai just about nearly _kissed_ Jinora! What was that about? What had he been thinking? I mean, sure Kai thought she was beautiful. He'd thought that the very first day he met her. He loved looking at her. And he'd meant what he'd said: he really would love to draw her one day.

So then what was he doing here? Why was he laying—sweaty in this adulterated bed—after having slept with that girl who, by the sound of it, had just turned on the shower?

He supposed that meant he'd overstayed his welcome. Slowly, he began to get out of her bed. Though it was significantly more comfortable than his own.

For the first time he wondered what her life was like outside of their little bedding-excursions. Was she happy with her husband? What did they talk about? Why were they still married?

He stood up and tugged his jeans back on. He pulled his shirt on over his head and laced up his Vans. He grabbed his coat and strode over to the door. Still so confused.

He'd never really been in a relationship. He'd never been committed to someone before. So why did Jinora make him want to stop everything his current lifestyle consisted of?

Why did leaving her apartment suddenly feel like cheating?

He shut the door behind him, and began to walk down the hall, towards the elevators. She lived on the top floor, so the elevator always took a long time to arrive. He took it upon himself to lean against the wall that the closed doors of the elevators remained.

Was he going crazy? Why was his mind tugging his heart and body in two different directions?

Because for the first time ever, Kai realized, he actually bonded with someone. On a deeper, more emotional level. Never before had Kai had a friend like Jinora. And now suddenly, she had become so much more than that.

He had always found her attractive. He loved the way her hair fell loose and shiny around her face; he was infatuated by her large brown eyes and the way they seemed to connect with his soul. She was small and simple, and he loved how easy it was to talk to her.

Whether they were having an intellectual conversation about Garcia Marquez or if they were discussing the delicacies of moon peach pie making, speaking was something that came naturally between them. And he knew she felt the same way; she had said so herself.

So then was what the problem? What more could he possibly ask of Jinora?

 _Sex._

Shut up! He yelled in his own head. _Don't be disgusting, Kai._

But if he was being honest with himself… yeah, he would love to sleep with Jinora. He found her beautiful, and he wanted to touch her body and feel her underneath his finger pads.

Damn! Damn his brain! Why couldn't he just be friends with a girl with no thoughts of wanting to rail her? Couldn't he—for once in his god damn existence—put someone else first?

 _But what if Jinora wants him?_

She doesn't.

 _She leaned in to kiss you._

Shut up.

 _Jinora. Wanted. To kiss. You._

 _Jinora. Kiss. You._

 _Jinora._

Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up! Never gonna happen.

No, he decided firmly, he couldn't have sex with Jinora. He needed to detach her sexuality from her self. Sex would complicate and yet somehow oversimplify their relationship. It would be way too much confusion and miscommunication. It couldn't happen.

 _Ding!_

Finally! Kai twisted his body around to step onto the elevator and nearly ran into the man getting off. They both jumped at the right time, however, so they came out unscathed.

"Sorry, man. I wasn't expecting anyone," Kai offered.

"Kai?" the man spat, sounding bewildered.

Kai looked into the guy's face. Really looked into it. His eyes widened in realization. "Mako?!"

"What're you doing here?" Mako demanded, maybe too aggressively.

"Well, what're _you_ doing here?" Kai faultily countered.

" _I'm_ bringing groceries to Wu. He lives in room 3130." He gestured to the paper bag he was holding.

 _Damn that was good_.

"Your turn. Why're you here?"

"I know someone in the building," he said plainly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Who?" Mako demanded incredulously.

"What's it to you?"

Mako looked away. He perhaps realized it was none of his business who Kai knew in the building. He took a deep breath, then returned his eye contact:

"Look," he breathed out. "I just wanna make sure you actually do know someone on this level."

"No, I just like to hang out on the 31st floor of Earthbender Court. It's a favorite pastime of mine," Kai said with a roll of the eyes.

Mako's look said it all. Kai's expression turned to a glare. He crossed his arms.

"Look, I'm not a thief," Kai nearly growled. _Well, not an unreformed one, anyways…_

"Sure you're not," Mako said putting his free hand on his hip.

"I have never stolen from somebody's home before!" Kai just about shouted, sounding very exasperated.

"I never said you did," Mako shrugged.

"What is with you, man? Why do I always feel like I'm being attacked by you?"

Mako was silent for a while. A very long time, actually. When he finally did speak, his voice was much gentler and it lost the condescending tone.

"I'm sorry," he admitted. He removed his hand from his hip and laid it on Kai's shoulder.

"Look, I get it," he began. His golden eyes—for once appearing understanding instead of angry—bore into Kai's. "I raised myself on the streets. My brother and I worked for gangs. My life wasn't easy. But you don't get an excuse for breaking the law." He paused, and his expression shifted to sad: "You just don't."

"I've told you; I don't need to be excused," Kai fired back.

"Look, you don't have to admit everything you've ever done to me. Your life's history isn't my business."

"Then why are we here?"

"Because Jinora _is_ my business. I just want to make sure she doesn't get mixed up in any trouble."

Kai had no response to that. He looked at Mako for a long time before he could think of anything worth saying. He knew that Mako was right, but another part of him wanted to throw back that Jinora was a grown woman, and it really wasn't any of _Mako's_ business who Jinora spent her time with.

"Why do you assume _I'm_ trouble?" Kai hated himself for sounding so defensive. He just didn't know how to handle this situation. It was new to him.

Mako's eyes never left Kai's. They both knew a little too much about Kai's situation. Kai could admit he wasn't up to par with Jinora—a professor's daughter whose ambition was like a never-dying ember. But he damn-well liked spending time with her. It wasn't hurting anybody. Kai needed Mako off his back because he…

 _He valued Jinora more than he did his own self-preservation_. He had just realized it for the first time.

"Listen, Mako," Kai began harshly. _Gentler_ , he reminded himself. He exhaled and started again.

"I… I know that trouble sort of tends to…" _Take responsibility._ "I have a knack for finding trouble. I'm not always the noblest person. I have a skewed sense of morals. I'm far from perfect. But Jinora's my friend. She's like no other girl I have ever met, and I…"

Kai couldn't think of anything else to say. Instead, he looked Mako right in the eyes.

"I already know Jinora. It's you I'm still unsure about."

"We both know I'm no stranger to law-breaking. But it's behind me. Honest, it is."

"I want to believe you, but I'm a little skeptical on your judgement."

"Why?"

Mako said nothing, and he refused to look Kai in the eyes. Kai gave him a quizzical look, and realized that Mako was intently focusing on Kai's appearance: his bed-swept hair and then at his wrinkled clothing.

Kai wanted to punch himself. Mako was a cop. This is what they did.

"I'm not pretending I don't know what you were doing," Mako stated as a matter-of-fact.

Kai folded his arms defensively. Who was Mako to judge?

"So what?" Kai demanded.

" _So_ Jinora is important to me. Maybe you just aren't cut out for her."

Kai felt the blood rush to his face, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Lying would do him no good. Neither would telling the truth. He opted to change the topic.

"Did you treat Hasook like this?"

The question had caught Mako off guard. His eyes grew three times their normal size. "What?!"

Kai repeated the question. Mako blundered to find an answer.

"How—I don't—you know—what?!"

Kai said nothing but instead waited.

"You're not Hasook," Mako finally said definitively.

"That was a non-answer," Kai smirked. Hook line and sinker.

Mako's eyes narrowed. He too had realized his defeat.

"I did not," Mako finally admitted.

Kai locked his eyes and refused to let go. Mako may not know the details about Jinora and Hasook, but Kai had the assumption that anybody who knew Jinora back then would have noticed a change in her usually cheerful demeanor; they probably just assumed she was heartbroken, though.

"You might get this a lot, but Jinora really doesn't need your help. I know you think you know something about me because we both had 'rough childhoods' or whatever, but you really don't know me at all. Or Jinora, for that matter." He had to add that last part. He really knew nothing about his friend.

Mako shook his head in a small chuckle as he looked down at his feet. In spite of his own anger, Kai had come up with a very compelling argument. He was thinking, and Kai patiently waited for him to piece his thoughts together.

"I'm sorry for profiling you," Mako admitted. And then he did something Kai had never seen before: he smiled. Kai returned it strategically; he truly had won this one.

"Apology accepted," Kai went out to shake his hand, and Mako returned it.

"Send your boyfriend my love," Kai said as a parting and hopped onto the elevator. Mako, too shocked, couldn't say anything in response before the elevator doors had closed in front of him.

* * *

 **A/N: Mixed emotions, high-strung feelings, and lots of possibilities. What could happen next?**

 **Please take the time to review! It thrills me to see people enjoying my work :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So sorry this took so long! I didn't mean for it to, but I felt a little uninspired to write it. Nothing was coming out the way I wanted it to. I think the finished chapter works well though. Enjoy(:**

* * *

"Are you even listening to me?"

Jinora's head snapped up. She stared into the frustrated grey eyes of her younger sister, and gave her an offended look.

"Of course I am!"

"Liar! You didn't hear a word that I just said!"

Jinora swallowed. She really had not heard a thing her sister had said to her. She was so wrapped up in her own world that even when she asked a question, she couldn't hear the response.

"You were talking about your classes," Jinora replied smoothly.

"Yeah, because you said 'Tell me about your classes.'" Ikki countered. "Look, if you didn't want to know why'd you ask?"

 _Great_ , Jinora sighed. Now she had offended her only sister.

She let out a long exhale, and told the truth. "I'm sorry, Ikki," she said sincerely. "I do care, honest. My mind is just running right now."

Ikki jumped off her bed, and walked over to Jinora, who was leaning against the wall. The younger girl's room looked severely underused: there were no wrinkles in the bed, no clothes left about, and a thin layer of dust coated the entire dresser. After getting into Air Temple University of the South, she was hardly ever home. Now, however, was her spring break, so she came home for the week.

"You okay? You wanna talk?" Ikki's eyes widened with sincerity.

Jinora laughed it off, "Yes, I do, but about _you._ How are you classes? Seriously, tell me again. I'm really interested. My little sis doesn't get to spend almost two full semesters abroad and then _not_ tell me about it!"

Ikki shook her head, and let out a small sigh. "I saw some bison and learned some history. Nothing else to it. Now, tell me what's bothering you."

Jinora opened her mouth to argue, but Ikki's eyes dared her to speak. Jinora closed her mouth again, and pushed past her younger sister. She plopped down on her bed, and groaned.

"I don't even know where to begin." The bus stop? The library? The coffeehouse the wedding the pies? All of it? None of it? Was she really about to tell her sister she think she might sort of have a crush? Maybe?

Ikki was silent as she waited for Jinora to speak. The older girl sat up and locked eyes with her sister, who sat at the foot of her bed.

"I met somebody," she said simply.

Ikki's mouth stretched across her round face. She covered it with her hands to prevent a squeal.

"OH MY GOSH!" she forced herself to whisper—not trusting her voice to not come out as a scream. "Tell me tell me tell me! Jinora, you never like anybody! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy!"

"Woah, slow down," Jinora motioned with her hands. "I—I didn't say—"

"Nope, no excuses. Now tell me about him!"

JInora exhaled. She shrugged, and began to describe Kai. His appearance, his laughs, his sincerity—all of it. And once she'd begun… nothing could get her to stop. And Ikki sat there and listened wholeheartedly. She would gasp at the right time and squeal with delight at others. When Jinora had finally finished rambling, she found she was short of breath. And now it was finally Ikki's turn to speak.

"So he's a cute, rugged orphan boy who has a knack for drawing women _and_ even Meelo liked him! Can I meet him? He sounds perfect!"

"Well he went to the wedding," Jinora admitted.

"Wait so he already met mom and dad? How did dad take it?" Ikki asked carefully. Both girls knew Tenzin had never quite gotten over Jinora and Hasook's break up. He really thought the two were soulmates.

"Dad was fine. We're only friends," Jinora said, her voice void of emotion. Ikki, a perceptive, young women, picked up on that.

"But you wanna be more?" she said with an eyebrow raise.

"Well…" Jinora pondered the best answer to her question. "I'm happy being his friend."

"But you want to be more?" Ikki repeated.

"…I don't _not_ want to be more," Jinora sighed.

Ikki mocked-surprise. "Did my sister just use a double negative?"

Jinora laughed at her sister's expression. "Shut up, it made sense."

Jinora hesitated, and then added. "Besides, he doesn't like me romantically or anything, so it doesn't matter how I feel."

Ikki rolled her eyes, " _Or_ you could tell him how you feel. Throw caution to the wind! Demand his respect!"

"It's not that easy, Ikki," Jinora sighed. "Admitting something like that can ruin a friendship."

"Or start a relationship," Ikki added.

"Whatever, Ikki," Jinora laughed and sighed at the same time.

"Hey, let's go get coffee. C'mon, I really want one a peppermint latte!" Ikki suddenly demanded.

Jinora smiled. "You bet. Let me go get shoes. I'll meet you downstairs."

The two girls left the house, and walked to the small, artsy coffee shop that was just three blocks from their home. As they walked, they finally talked about Ikki's classes.

"Oh my goodness, Jinora, you wouldn't believe how many bison I've seen. The way dad talks about them... but you have no idea how majestic they are in person! I'm serious! They are so graceful despite their enormity. And gentle, too. They are monogamous and care for their young nearly as long as humans do! It's amazing!" an aspiring veterinarian, Ikki had always had a passion for animals.

She had talked the entire three blocks to the coffee shop and hadn't stopped since entering the door. She paused to order her coffee and Jinora her Yerba Mate, but then continued to describe her abroad travels and classes at the Southern Air Temple. As they were walking to a small table near the front, someone finally interrupted Ikki.

"Shortstop?!" a familiar voice called from across the small coffee shop. "No way is that you!"

The shorter and younger girl turned around, and her face immediately brightened. "Bolin!" she shrieked. She skipped towards his table, and threw her arms around his broad shoulders. He was sitting down, so her stout form was at the perfect height to do so.

 _Shortstop_ was Bolin's nickname for Ikki. The man had towered over the girl since they'd met, and though at once Ikki was self-conscious about her height, she now realized it bolstered her abilities as a gymnast. Her figure of 5'1" allowed for a long center of gravity and therefore floor routines were easier.

"When did you get in town?" Bolin was so excited that he, like Ikki often would, was rambling. "Why haven't you texted me? Everyone wishes you could've made it to the wedding! How is the Southern Air Temple? What're you doing there? When did you get back, again?"

Ikki looked at Bolin, and said, too quickly for Jinora to keep up with, "This morning. Been on an airplane. Me too. It's beautiful. I'm learning how to be a veterinarian. This morning."

Jinora laughed. Bolin and Ikki had a way of only being able to keep up with one another. She pulled up two chairs for herself and her sister, and took a seat in the one near Mako.

"Are you not excited to see Ikki, too?" Jinora poked fun at Mako. She had known the brothers for a long time, and knew that where Bolin was forthcoming and exuberant, Mako was always more reserved.

Mako chuckled deeply to himself. "I think I'll save my welcome when he's finally finished," he admitted. And he wasn't wrong; Bolin and Ikki were still talking. Bolin was often the only one that could keep up with Ikki's incessant talking. Jinora knew she struggled with it.

"How've you been?" Jinora asked. But _Heard you spooked Kai,_ was what was really on her mind.

Mako breathed out, "Kai told you I spoke with him." It wasn't a question but rather a statement of fact. They both knew that they were both aware of Mako's involvement with Kai's disappearance.

Jinora nearly asked how he knew that. She almost denied it. But she'd gotten used to Mako's perceptive abilities. He always had a way of reading people; that's why he was such a good cop.

So instead, Jinora weakly nodded. "Yes, he did."

"So I assume you'd like to tell me something?"

They spoke in hushes, not wanting to interrupt Bolin and Ikki.

"Mako, it's true that I don't appreciate you meddling in my personal life, but I do thank you for looking out for me. It's just frustrating because I can take care of myself. I'm 22 years old, Mako; you still treat me like I'm in high school."

"I do not," Mako argued.

"You do, and I know that your intentions are good so I'm not angry just… bothered. You think you know what's best for everyone. You think you have every pinned to a T. But you're wrong about Kai, and you're wrong about me."

"I am _not_ wrong about Kai," hot anger flooded his face, and his voice rose with it. Jinora didn't care anymore about interrupting Ikki or Bolin. She wanted Mako out of her business. She wasn't mad before, but his incessant intolerance of Kai had thrown her over the edge into anger.

"You are, Mako." The volume of Jinora's voice met his. "I know him better than you do."

"Do you know if he knows anyone on the penthouse of the Earthbender Court?" Makko asked oddly.

"How would I know that?" Jinora said nonchalantly.

"Are you sleeping with Kai?" Mako demanded suddenly.

"What?!"

"Are. You. Sleeping. With Kai?" he repeated with more emphasis.

"Kai and I are only friends, not that that is _ANY_ of your business," Jinora had abandoned all rational thought. She couldn't foresee where this conversation was going, and she didn't care to. She knew Kai was good at heart.

"So you have no romantic affiliation with him whatsoever?" Mako specified.

Inwardly, Jinora screamed yes. But her mixed up feelings were none of Mako's business.

"No," she said firmly with a cross of her arms. That meant it's definitive, right?

"Good," Mako muttered. He took a sip of his coffee and said into his cup, "Because he's sleeping with someone else."

She'd hardly heard him at all. Maybe she could pretend that she'd _mis_ heard him. She could fake it. Smile and go along with the conversation and the day and then her life because she wasn't 100% sure what she'd heard.

But she couldn't lie to herself. She'd never really known the definition of heartbreak until this moment. In this moment it felt as though her heart had just plummeted 100 stories. As if Mako had unknowingly reached inside her chest and pulled out her still-beating heart. Then sent it falling into an endless pit of other forgotten body parts and vestigial appendages—only connected to her a thin hair of an artery. Enough to feel the hollowness that grew inside her. Enough to want to sever the tie just so she'd stop feeling so empty.

Then she suddenly found it hard to breathe. She couldn't catch her breath and the air in the coffee shop suddenly felt hot and claustrophobic. She needed AIR! Yea that was what she needed! Just some fresh air to clear her mind and steady her heartbeat.

She rose from the table without a word and went outside to breathe. It wasn't as if she was dating Kai. Kai… Kai wasn't hers. Kai could bang all of Republic City and Jinora would have no say in it.

 _Then why do I feel this way?_ She demanded.

Standing on the corner of that busy intersection in the city, she realized what she needed wasn't fresh air. She needed to speak to Kai. Immediately.

She took off at a runner's pace down Lady Ursa Lane. She had to get to Kai's apartment.

* * *

 **A/N: Please review! Anything to let me know you enjoyed the chapter!  
Next one should be up soon. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Damn, this was a timely update. Guess I was just excited to write it. Hope you're excited to read :)**

* * *

"Jinora? What're you doing here?"

Kai stood on the other side of the door. A wide, toothy grin plastered across his face at the sight of Jinora. His eyes shown and twinkled with delight. He was wearing an old, once-white t shirt and grey sweatpants. His feet were bare and his hair gently tousled.

Despite his slightly bedraggled appearance, he was still so gorgeous. Jinora wanted to kick herself. _What was wrong with her?_

She opened her mouth. She just needed to get this off her chest. The rest would be smooth sailing. She was about to push the words out of her mouth, but she lost her nerve. She immediately pursed her lips.

"Jinora? Is… something wrong?"

Why was she here? She and Kai weren't together. He wasn't hers to order around. He could do whatever he wanted; that wasn't for her to decide.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked her. Without speaking, she pushed past him and took a seat on his messy, unmade bed—his grey sheets were wrinkled and spread out, so she sat her butt down at the foot. She rested her hands on her knees and played with the rolls in her jeans.

"Now seriously, Jin, what is it?" he said staring at her with green eyes, wide with genuine concern. Her heart fluttered at his nickname. It made warmth pulse through her entire body and her knees felt tingly. She was grateful she was already sitting down because she was sure her knees would have buckled beneath her weight.

Eyes still fixated on her hands, pulling at the seams in her pants, she muttered in a voice hardly over a whisper, "You're sleeping with someone."

Once the words were off her lips, she immediately regretted it. Perhaps he hadn't heard her. Maybe he was still waiting for her to speak, but then his voice carried over the beating of her own heart.

"What?" he demanded—not out of confusion or interest but nearly _accusatory._ Incredulous at her audacity.

She peeled her eyes away from her hands and looked up at his face. "It's stupid, I know. I… we're friends, and I like that. I have no _control_ over you. I don't… we're not dating or anything, so I don't know… I don't even know why I'm here. I think… I think maybe I should just go…" she turned her head down and began to stand so that she could let herself out.

But a tan, muscular weight landed on her knee, and she found herself unable to move a muscle beneath it.

"I've never been tied down," he told her. "I've never been in a committed, exclusive relationship. Not once. I sleep with people, no strings attached—it's all I've ever known."

She was still looking down—now at the hand resting on her leg—but Kai's other hand moved to bring Jinora's chin towards him.

"But recently…" he went on. "Recently, I've felt…" his voice trailed off in a sort-of crack, so he cleared his throat, a little embarrassed. Then tried to go on.

"I've felt like what we have is something… something I don't want to let go."

Jinora ripped her head away from his hand and continued to stare at her knees. She suddenly found simple eye contact nearly impossible to hold. She could feel his heavy gaze on her, so she flipped her dark hair in front of her face, shielding herself from his stare.

"Is it weird that I feel jealous? As if I have any romantic ties to you at all." She forced a laugh, believing it contributed to the incredulity of her statement.

"Jin…"

There. He said it again. A simple nickname that was able to send pulsating nerves down to her extremities. Pulse, pulse, _pulse_.

She forced her eyes away from the seams of her jeans and over at Kai. God, he was so beautiful. What had she been thinking? What was she doing? Why was she even here?

The moment her hesitant brown eyes connected with his worried green, she knew it would happen. Her insecurities slipped out of her parted lips. Her hesitation was somewhere underneath the bed, completely out of sight and mind. She searched in his eyes for confirmation, but didn't wait to find it.

In one swift motion, she moved her head towards his. She tilted her chin up just slightly, and suddenly her lips were one his—soft and warm and welcoming. She could tell he was caught off guard; he didn't move a muscle in the moments following her action, but he caught up soon enough. She opened her mouth to him, and he greedily entered. His hand reached around to cup the gentle curve of her jaw. He held her face close to his, and she danced her tongue along his bottom-lip. The motion triggered Kai's throat to groan in a guttural, involuntary noise. It made Jinora jump.

She pulled apart and the gravity of what they had just done began to weigh down on her. Her eyes grew three times their normal size in humiliation, embarrassment, and (the thought made her blush) _desire_.

Meanwhile, Kai was confused. He didn't know what to make of this situation—it was new and different and interesting. He was afraid to admit _he liked it._ So much so that he was short of breath. His breathing was ragged and the only noise that filled his tiny studio apartment.

Jinora pushed her hair behind her ears—an old nervous habit she'd taken up when she didn't have anything else to do with her hands. Her fingers grazed her hot cheeks in the motion, and she realized she must have been blushing the heat of the sun.

Kai opened his mouth, and Jinora was so grateful he was going to say something. Except he could form no words. He could think of absolutely nothing to say about this situation. His voice was caught somewhere deep inside his throat. In the deafening silence, he swore he could hear her heart palpitating.

Jinora figured she needed to get out of there. Their casual, informal and friendly relationship had somewhere performed a complete 180. She immediately stood up and smoothed out her feminine button-down top (she had since shed her outer sweater when the sun had heated up the afternoon).

"I'm…er…sorry. I-I should just g-go. I'm gonna go. I think I should go. Er, yeah…" she stumbled over simple English as she struggled to get to her feet. She forced herself to stand up and was at the door in two, long strides. Her right hand reached for the handle, but something sweaty and clammy had grabbed her left. She twisted her neck into its direction.

"No," he said with no further elaboration.

"No," Jinora repeated, breathless.

He took a step so that he was closer to her. Their hands remained interlocked—her left and his right—and he leaned towards her. Her breath hitched. She was so attracted to his scent—a spicy tang of cinnamon; she let her senses soak in it.

"You shouldn't go," he told her, smoothly yet slightly winded.

"Okay," was all Jinora could piece together.

Kai slipped his hand out of hers and instead rested them both on her slim shoulders. She melted into his touch and felt herself slipping away. God, she wanted this so badly.

She thought he would crane his head down. She thought he was going purse his lips and kiss her again. She thought he wanted that.

But he didn't move. He stared into her—his imitable, crystal green eyes not pulling away from hers. At their close position, Jinora felt her cheeks grow hot. Or was it hot in here? She couldn't be sure. Jinora pushed hard on her tippy-toes, and shoved her face against Kai's. The force knocked him back a bit, but he recovered quickly.

Pressed against him, she played with the bottom of his white t shirt. She looped her hands around to his back and pressed up against him more. He twirled his fingers in the dark tendrils of her hair. With his other hand, he pushed her head closer to his. Much closer.

Once again, she pushed her tongue against his lips: soft and moist and welcoming. She smiled into his kiss and giggled with giddiness. Because she was giddy! She was kissing Kai! It was… heavenly.

"Damn, you're beautiful," he whispered against her lips.

She smiled into him. "Show me," she muttered.

Kai pulled away from her, and for a split second she was nervous he had changed his mind about this whole thing. But that second was over very soon when Jinora saw the mischief cover the desire in his eyes.

In a quick motion, he pushed Jinora up against his door. The force elicited a moan from Jinora's already parted lips, and Kai let out a low chuckle.

"Someone liked that," he teased; Kai's voice was smiling. He found her obvious pleasure funny.

"Shut up and kiss me," Jinora laughed with him, lacing her arms around the back of his neck as her head rested against the wooden door.

Kai's lips returned to Jinora, but this time to her neck, her jawline, her collarbone. Jinora giggled against his touch. The tickling trail of wet kisses he left chilled her skin; goosebumps began to appear despite how hot she felt. He finally returned his attention to her plump lips. His hands began to push into her hipbones, and she shivered. She wanted him to be closer. She needed him closer. She lifted her leg to push his body against her own. The motion had made him grunt.

She pulled away from his lips and laughed. "Guess I'm not the only one," she said playfully.

"Come back here," he said devilishly and attacked her mouth with his own. Their tongues battled and their lips fought. Fought for what, neither of them knew. Perhaps dominance, though it was more than that. They were fighting to make the other feel. Fighting to see who would crack again.

It was Kai.

Jinora had begun to play with the waistband of his sweatpants—twirling her finger with the elastic and pulling it away from his body just to let it snap back. Kai pulled away from her lips, and tried to even his breathing. His blood was thumping away from his brain and, he found it difficult to focus.

"What's the matter?" Jinora asked, a hint of desire in her voice. Kai didn't seem to notice. He was hovered over her (as his neck was craned down). Without warning, Kai stepped away and ran his hands through his tousled hair, up and down the length of his face.

"I—er…" he couldn't put his feelings into words. " _Shit_."

"Kai?" Jinora asked with a slight pant in her breath.

"What I said before is true, Jinora: I've never been in an exclusive relationship. I… I don't think I know how!" he admitted to her.

He took a seat on his bed, and Jinora followed him, sitting down beside him.

"Committed relationships are all I've ever known," Jinora now admitted.

"But I do want this," he said. Kai's eyes hung to hers, intense and honest. She felt nearly naked under this stare. "I just don't know how to act in a relationship."

Jinora shrugged, staring at nothing in particular, just something in front of her. "We don't need to be in a relationship."

"Really?" Kai asked. Jinora couldn't figure out his tone…it sounded hopeful but also doubtful. Maybe—just _maybe_ —even a tiny bit disappointed.

"I've never been in something open…I guess I don't know how to share people."

Kai let out a laugh. She assumed he found the thought of Jinora fighting over him funny.

"How 'bout this: we just do whatever we want right now and deal with the consequences later?" Jinora offered, feeling bothered. She placed a hand on his knee and smiled.

Kai gave her a look. "What if this ruins what we already have? What if I hurt you?"

Jinora looked away from him and said definitively. "I won't let it ruin our friendship. I won't," she affirmed, looking in his eyes again. She then looked away and added, "And I've already been hurt. _In_ a committed relationship, in fact. I think I can deal with what you throw at me," she giggled.

"So are we gonna do this?" Kai asked, waiting patiently for her confirmation. Jinora stood up, her back facing Kai, and feigned stretching. It was only when she turned around that Kai now realized she had undone the top three buttons on her shirt. The collar now hung loose around her neck and revealed her sunflower-yellow bra beneath. Without words, she sat facing him on his lap, her knees bent beneath her, and looped her fingers behind his neck.

Their eyes held for a long time—neither moving. Jinora then felt something twitch under her butt, and she smiled. Without explanation, her lips rushed against his—hot and needy.

* * *

 **A/N: So I did sort of have to cut this scene short...had to keep it appropriate for a T rating.**

 **P** **lease review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Please note this happens a couple weeks later (:**

* * *

It was nearly six o'clock. A pile of clothes on the floor indicated the direction the evening had turned. Her balled up yellow sundress was tangled together with her beige pullover. His dark, nearly black jeans were tossed to the side and forgotten along with his black t-shirt. A bra was hanging by its straps on the handle of the door to the small kitchen.

The bed was messy, and the sheets thrown across the couple haphazardly. They laid in bed together, the sheets stopping at his nave and her shoulders.

Jinora's head rested cozily in the indented space between the collarbone and the arm pit. Kai had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. They breathed in tandem and rested peacefully, though awake.

"You're so warm," Jinora noted snuggling in closer to him.

"You're just saying that because you're ice-cold. Seriously, did you just step out of a freezer?"

Jinora giggled into his chest. Her hand rested on his right peck, the fingers lazily outlining his detailed lotus tattoo. Though inked in black, it was so perceptive; it might blossom off his chest. Jinora loved it.

And Kai knew it. "You like that one," he noted casually.

Kai felt her nod against his shoulders.

"Did I ever tell you the story of why I have it?" he thought aloud.

"No," Jinora said, sounding awed. "Tell me, please."

"I told you how I used to run away a lot when I was little?" She nodded. "Well once when I was nine years old I got a little lost. I couldn't find my bearings, and it was new part of the city that this family lived in and I couldn't figure out how to get to a familiar place. When it got dark, I got scared. And then—like it was from a dream—I found this small inland pool that I'd never seen before. It was still and dark, but it was lit with a couple dozen bright pink lotus flowers along the edges. And I realized how remarkable this discovery I made was because I'd never seen it before. And then, when I followed this small pool, I saw it was actually connected to the Yue Bay. And from there, I was able to find my way around," he finished with the smallest of smiles. "Ever since, I feel like I owe something to lotus flowers. They're beautiful, so I got it inked on."

" 'May we exist, like the lotus, at ease in muddy water,' " Jinora spoke strangely.

"What?"

"It's a Zen proverb. The lotus is content and in fact only happy in muddy waters; it's the only place it can grow. The proverb is saying that's analogical: humans should be content and happy in not always pleasurable situations," Jinora explained.

"Wow, that's amazing. How do you know that?"

"I think it was the epigraph of a novel I read," Jinora shrugged.

Kai broke a brilliant smile. "I think you just made me like it even more," he said with a thankful tone. Jinora smiled, flattered.

"I like this one, too," she replied, and moved her hand into the covers to gently thumb his thigh ink. It was a black-inked bird, its wings outstretched in flight. She needn't lift the covers for them both to know what she was talking about. "Does it have a story?"

Kai laughed to himself, "You can't expect everything I have to be deep. A guy's gotta have his ridiculous tattoos."

"Tell me," she pushed anyways. She lifted her head off his chest to look him in the eyes.

"I got this on my eighteenth birthday. I woke up before everyone else, left the house, got this tattooed, and never looked back."

"Why this? Why a bird?"

"I guess I kind of always liked birds. You know, the way they can just get up and leave when they don't like a place. When it gets too cold they migrate to the tropics. They're so free and detached from worldly matters. I walked into the shop, told the artist to tattoo a bird on me, and left."

"I think it's beautiful," Jinora said, laying her head back down on his chest. A silence set down between them, though not uncomfortable or embarrassing. More deep-in-thought than anything.

"I've never done this before," Kai said suddenly. He moved his arm to wrap around her shoulders and squeezed. She didn't need to ask him what he meant. She knew, and she told him, "Me neither."

An odd thing when two soles, depraved of human contact, find each other, isn't it?

"I'm glad that we are," Kai told her. She picked her head up and moved up his body. To look him in the eyes at his level, her breasts pressed very lightly against his chest. Her eyes flicked to his lips for a split second then back to his eyes.

"Me, too," she said and then gave him a short and chaste kiss. Her eyes returned to his. He cracked a lopsided grin, and she smiled back. Then her stomach made the most god-awful noise in the world. But Kai's grin only grew at the sound, and he laughed deeply.

"Hungry?" he joked with her.

"So hungry," Jinora laughed. "Where's my phone? I wonder what time it is."

Jinora reached across Kai, and snatched her phone off the floor. When she unlocked it, she saw she had two missed calls and and a text from Korra. The text was from 9 minutes ago, the calls sooner, but her phone had been on "Do Not Disturb." She opened up the text first.

"Korra wants to get dinner," she remarked, her tone impossible to read.

Kai questioned it, "You don't sound very excited. Didn't she just get back from her honeymoon?"

"Yes and I want to see her. It's hard to go to dinner with her, though. She brings Asami, and I'm stuck being the odd one out. And I love Asami, I do, but it's weird going to dinner alone with a married couple.

"You should come!" she added suddenly.

Kai hesitated. "Er," he sounded. "I don't know if I'm invited. They probably want to catch up with you since they've been away."

"Please come?" Jinora nuzzled her face into his chest and laid there until he spoke again.

"Fine," he complied with a wicked grin. "Whatever makes you happy, Jin."

Her heart fluttered, but she ignored it. "I'll give her a call, hang on."

Kai was able to hear Korra's voice from the other end. _Hey girl!_

…

The group of four was seated in the back of Noodles on Noodles, at a booth the perfect size. Kai wore his dark jeans and black t-shirt. He'd thrown on his black real-leather jacket ("C'mon I stole it from _Macy's._ They're so corporate, they won't even notice it's gone.") because the wind outside had a bit of a bite. Jinora had pulled on the dress that she wore before arriving to Kai's apartment. Asami wore a simple beige dress with long sleeves since it was chilly outside, and Korra wore a black, feminine blazer over a white v-neck tucked into her loose boyfriend jeans. Asami had just told Kai about the time Korra tried to steal Mako from her.

"Stop that. That's so not true," Korra laughed into Asami's arm, hiding the redness of her cheeks from view.

"Oh my god, look at how you're blushing," Asami teased back. "So embarrassed."

Korra covered her hands with her face, and Jinora and Kai were trying very hard (for Korra's sake) not to start laughing.

"I don't think you've been this red since—" Asami stopped short. Her hand flew to stop the words coming out of her mouth. She realized that whatever she was about to say wasn't table appropriate.

Korra, thoroughly embarrassed by Asami retelling the story of when Korra kissed Mako, lied about it, then demanded to know why he'd chosen Asami, decided it time to shift the conversation. "So moving on," she began. "What's happened here while we've been gone?"

Jinora and Kai looked sideways at each other. For the two of them, a _lot_ had happened. But that conversation was certainly not going to be held over dinner. Jinora spoke to fill the silence.

"Ikki's back from the Southern Air Temple. You should talk to her about it. She said it was absolutely beautiful."

"Okay but what about your lives? I'm just trying to see what we've missed," Korra specified. "You're graduating in three months, Jinora. Are you excited?"

Jinora looked away. "I mean, yes, but…"

"What's up?" Asami asked her with a genuine expression of concern.

"I'm still living at home," Jinora huffed, obviously frustrated. "I need to find a place of my own, but the idea is so overwhelming."

"I can help," Kai brought up. "I remember how difficult it can be. I looked at 10 different listings. It's tricky to find what you're looking for. I'll help you sort through the bad ones, if you want."

"Yeah and Asami can help you get an idea for how it would look with your stuff in it," Korra added.

"Wow, thanks guys," Jinora said with a heartfelt smile.

"Do you have any jobs lined up?" Asami asked thoughtfully.

"I have an interview in a few weeks with the Museum Association of the United Republic. They're opening up a 100 Years War branch, and want me to curate and research the information for it," Jinora answered proudly.

"Oh my god, Jinora," Kai smiled from ear to ear. "Why didn't you tell me about that? That's so amazing."

"I'm trying not to think about it. It's so overwhelming. And what if I don't get it? That would be _heart-breaking._ "

"You'll do fine. You're smart, personable, and hard-working. What else could they want?"

"What do you do Kai?" Korra shifted.

"Nothing exciting," Kai dodged. Jinora realized she, too, never asked what Kai did to put food on the table.

They all blinked at him in confusion. So he continued.

"I work in the service industry. This funny little health-foods shop that doesn't get a whole lot of business. It's temporary, I hope."

"Then what do you want to do?" Asami asked.

"I want to be a tattoo artist. It's a hard field to get into, though."

"I have a tattoo," Korra stated. She shrugged off her blazer to show him. On her upper forearm, she had three black bands in successive thickness. Kai smiled, and told her he liked them.

Kai noticed that Jinora was silent. She did not voice the fact that she had beautiful ink traveling down her spine.

"Do you?" Kai addressed Asami.

Asami shook her head silently. Korra interjected, "Asami's too professional."

Asami laughed with Korra. "I own a company! I can't be flaunting tattoos."

"You own a company? How old are you, like 26?"

"I turned 27 in January," she said.

"And you own a company?" Kai asked again. His tone wasn't disbelieving so much as it was genuine amazement. He was truly impressed with the young business woman.

"It's a family business, but my dad, er, stepped down. So I took it over," Asami answered with a falter in her speech. She didn't want to digress to a story about her father's incarceration.

"And what do you do? Sell retail, manufacture clothes? What sort of company is it?"

"We're Future Industries. We manufacture cars."

"I know of Future Industries! Everyone does; I can't believe you run it. You are incredible," Kai complimented with a sincere smile. He was so genuinely impressed by all that Asami had accomplished.

"Well anyways," Jinora steered the conversation back to where it started. "I think that is really cool profession." Kai smiled his genuine appreciation. "Thanks, Jin," he whispered so only she could hear. His hand reached under the table to squeeze hers for support. She matched his sweet smile.

At that moment, the server had returned to pick up all their food plates ("Are we all finished here"). He turned to no one in particular and asked, "I hope everything was excellent. Are we ready for the bill? Excellent. Do we want to do separate checks?"

Asami answered, "No, all together please." The waiter walked away to print the bill, and Korra and Asami smiled at the two younger people.

"Our treat," Korra smiled.

"That's so nice of you guys," Jinora thanked. Her hand clutched her heart.

"It's so thoughtful," Kai agreed. "But honestly, we could have split it. I feel bad leaving you with the bill."

"Don't feel bad, Sweetie," Asami grinned. "We invited you, so it's on us. Our treat."

"My sweater!" Jinora suddenly exclaimed. "I must've left it at your place," she told Kai.

"We'll go grab it after we finish," Kai offered with a shrug. "It's probably just on the floor."

The entire table had become very silent. Kai and Jinora watched as Asami and Korra's faces slowly turned to realization. The two wives looked at each other and were clearly thinking the same thing. They turned back to Jinora and Kai.

They couldn't believe how stupid that little conversation had been. _Damn_. Jinora could kick herself. Trying to keep the heat out of her face, Jinora locked eyes with the two women.

"What's that face for?" she asked innocently.

Neither Asami nor Korra answered. Out of her peripheral, Jinora watched Kai scratch the back of his neck. If she looked at him, she bet he would be beet-red.

"That's so not what we meant," Kai answered.

Jinora decided to play dumb. "Wait a minute, did you mean…" she jaw-dropped convincingly. "Get your heads out of the gutter!"

"I think our heads are in the exact right place," Korra smirked.

"My head's comfortable," Asami backed up.

"You guys are crazy!" Jinora laughed. Laughing would make it seem like she was less stressed, right?

"Yeah, we're not…" Kai attempted. "Jinora and I aren't like that."

"No, of course not," Asami agreed unconvincingly. Jinora concentrated all her strength into keeping her cheeks colorless, but she knew they were burning up.

"Look, I took off my sweater because his house was warm. Then I forgot to put it back on. That's it, stop this nonsense," Jinora stated. Korra and Asami giggled. Kai reddened.

"Fine, fine. We believe you," Korra tried to say with a straight face. Jinora rolled her eyes, thoroughly embarrassed, and gave up.

After the waiter returned with the check and Asami left a few notes on the bill, they all four got up out of the booth. Kai offered his hand to Asami as gratitude, and she shook it with a smile. When he did the same to Korra, however, she threw her arms around him in a hug. Jinora just about nearly missed what happened next: while Korra's arms were wrapped around his shoulders and Asami stood giggling at her wife's forwardness, Kai reached his hand away from Korra and stuck something inside Asami's bag. He didn't mention anything about it when he pulled away from the embrace either. Jinora reminded herself to ask him about it later.

For now, she gave her thanks, too, and hugged the two women. As she hugged Korra, the older woman breathed into her ear: "Have fun, girlie."

Without drawing attention to it, Jinora whacked the back of Korra's knee with her heel. She buckled a little bit, but regained her footing before anyone noticed it.

Finally Jinora and Kai were walking out of the restaurant alone. It had been fun, but also a slightly stressful evening. And they were both thinking the same thing.

"That was awkward," Kai started by stating the obvious.

Jinora brushed her hair out of her face. "Oh my god, I'm so embarrassed. I don't know why I said that! I'm sorry."

"It's my bad, too. I said you're sweater was probably on the floor," Kai took the blame, too. "Which come to think of it," he added. "It probably is." He gently nudged her side in a teasing matter.

Jinora laughed and smiled. "I guess this does bring up a question," she said, her smile suddenly erasing. This was now serious talk.

"Which is?" Kai prompted.

"We're doing this. Do we want to tell people about it?"

Kai hesitated. Jinora jumped in in his silence.

"I like the idea of…"

"Figuring out what this is?"

"Yes! Without the prying eyes of my friends," she joked with herself. "We'll never be able to figure out what _we_ want to do if they're constantly giving their input."

"Its a lot of lying," Kai reminded. "You okay with that?"

Jinora thought back to how she felt at dinner. "I am. It's for the greater good. If we want to tell them, we'll do it together. Eventually."

"I like it," Kai agreed. "It lets us keep our personal life—"

"Personal," Jinora finished for him. He nodded.

Jinora wrapped her cold arm around his leathered one. "But since no one is around,"she reminded and snuggled against him.

Kai smiled into her touch. The conversation took a silent turn, so Jinora decided to bring up what she'd witnessed at dinner.

"I saw what you put that cash into Asami's bag," Jinora started.

Kai's widened. He immediately jumped to defense. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Stop that," Jinora instructed calmly. "Don't be ashamed. I thought it was really honorable."

Kai was silent for a while. Jinora let him be. She didn't mind the silence with Kai.

"Thanks," he finally said quietly.

"You're a really good person, Kai," she told him.

He laughed in spite of himself. "Am I?" he asked rhetorically.

"Yes," Jinora answered anyways.

After a while, he broke the silence by asking her a question, "What did Asami mean? Her dad just decided to quit Future Industries or something?"

Jinora didn't say anything. Her mind was quickly buzzing. That story was so messed up that she didn't even know where to start. She took a deep breath, and began at the beginning:

"Asami's mom died when she was little. That kind of trauma can either tear a family apart or bring it closer together. For the Satos, Asami and her dad grew really close. They were each other's best friends. But I'm not so sure Asami ever knew how much her mom's death changed her dad. It wasn't until I think 7 years ago that they had a… falling out," Jinora seemed to struggle for a way to define what happened between Asami and her dad.

"What happened?" Kai asked with concern.

"Mr. Sato had become consumed by his desire for revenge. Asami's mom didn't die naturally; she was murdered; a mugging that went south. Her dad had been stealing millions of dollars from the company and essentially holding auditions for hit-men. He would interview them and give them a random target to see how well they performed. He never managed to find the mugger, though. But in his desire to find the perfect killer, his body count was nearly thirty people. He's in prison for life."

"How did he get caught?" Kai asked.

"Korra, actually. She overheard a phone interview, and told Mako about it. This was back when Asami and Mako were dating, though, so they dismissed her for being jealous. You heard how that all happened tonight," Jinora reminded. "They laugh about it now, but…that's not how it used to be. Korra got the police involved and everything; they pinned all twenty-seven murders on him and now he's away."

"So Asami had to take over the company at… what, 20?"

"Nearly. She was still 19. She never finished school because she had to step-up. Not that she needed to finish it, though. She's a genius, Asami is. She was studying to be a mechanical engineer so that she could contribute to car manufacturing, but she already knew everything they were teaching her. She's inspirational."

"Yeah, seriously."

Jinora lightly nudged Kai in the ribs. "Don't go falling in love with her," she joked with a bright smile. "She is a married woman."

"You have nothing to worry about, peaches. She's not my type," Kai said with a wicked grin. Jinora felt the redness in her cheeks return.

"Then what is your type?" she breathed out through nearly motionless lips.

Kai didn't answer, but instead locked eyes with her. Jinora noticed his cheeks increased in redness, too. This only made her more embarrassed. She immediately looked away, feeling as if she'd taken the playful conversation too far.

They had approached Kai's apartment anyways. They went up the five flights of stairs, in silence mostly. When they got out onto the fifth floor landing, Jinora stepped out first. Kai fumbled with his apartment key. He unlocked the door, but instead of pushing it open, looked back at Jinora and said, almost inaudibly:

"I'm not sure, yet," and Jinora knew exactly what he was referring to. She smiled her gratitude at his honesty, and just like that the short bit of tension between them had evaporated.

He held the door open to let her enter. One look around the room, and she realized he'd been right: her sweater lay crumpled on the floor, forgotten in her re-dressing. She walked over to it, and immediately tugged it over her head. Warmth rushed through it. It had been chilly outside.

"Thank god," she joked, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth.

"I'm glad it was here," Kai said, meeting her across his room in three strides. "I know how cold you get." Jinora wrinkled her nose. He was making fun of her, and she thought it was funny.

Suddenly getting more serious, she said, "You had fun tonight, right? It wasn't too weird."

Without responding, he closed the small gap between them and wrapped his long, tan arms around her waist. "I did. But I have to admit," he said, pausing briefly to lean forward and rest his forehead against hers. Jinora smiled at the motion and tried not to think about the way her heart quickened its beating. "I like it better like this," he finished and lean forward to press his lips against hers. She greedily opened her mouth to him and laced her fingers behind his neck, pulling him closer. Their bodies moved in a rhythm and their tongues danced to the beat.

Things were escalating when Kai reached his hands to play with the hem of her sweater. She smiled into his kiss, and pulled away. "I can't right now," she said, breathless.

Kai laughed. He rested his tired head on her shoulder and groaned somewhat playfully. "You could've said that before we started." She could hear the smile in his voice.

She laughed with him, and said, "I have to go home. I don't want my dad to be suspicious about something."

He pulled away from her shoulder and looked her in her big, brown eyes. "Jin, you are twenty-two years old."

Jinora let out a short chuckle, "But I still live at home for now. When I find my own place," she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, "There'll be no more of this."

Kai smiled brightly, "All the more reason to start apartment shopping! I'll help you; don't worry about a a thing."

Jinora smiled appreciatively, "You've got it."

Kai finally pulled away, and walked over to the door. "C'mon," he motioned. "I'll walk you home."

Jinora felt herself blush. Damn, why was he still able to do that. "You don't have to," she told him. "You're already home. Go to bed."

"I won't be going to bed anytime soon," he smirked and Jinora reddened even more. She knew he was referring to the fact that she'd gotten him all excited.

"And," he added as an afterthought. "I get to spend more time with you. C'mon," he motioned once again.

Still furiously red, Jinora nodded thankfully and walked out the door first.

Jinora didn't remember living so close to him, but somehow the walk was over before it even started.

* * *

 **A/N: So I didn't die. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I was confronted with the worst writer's block I've experienced (that's an exaggeration it's been worse.)**

 **Anyways, I did mange to come up with the next step in the story, and am happy to present it to you. Please review!**


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